


Many The Miles

by velvetsunrise



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Vacation AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetsunrise/pseuds/velvetsunrise
Summary: Regardless of the completely different reasons that brought them to the island, Sergio and Raquel cross paths and fall in love in Palawan.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 154
Kudos: 449





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. I hope everyone's healthy and safe during these trying times! These days I am in need of some distraction from all the things that have been happening recently, so have another serquel au🤭 
> 
> I owe this fic title's to this wonderful song by Sara Bareilles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZgDRmgBWI8 (The song's really nice, just like the rest of Sara's discography 😊)
> 
> Enjoy!

After everything that happened in her life, Raquel decides to take herself on her first vacation in years.

Her last legitimate vacation was a week in Costa Transmiera with a few friends from the police academy when she'd graduated. Her honeymoon trip for her wedding with her now _ex-husband _ (she can't even think about saying his name) had been brief. They spent a weekend in a hotel by the beach in San Sebastian and reported back to work early Monday morning. But now that changes in her life had been coming in leaps and bounds, and what's a little trip somewhere possibly far from Madrid could do?

She hoped to experience something new and beautiful – a change in scenery. Raquel knows that after the year she had, she deserved it more than ever. Despite her initial worry of leaving her mother alone for a few weeks, Marivi wholeheartedly supported the idea that some time away from it all might do her some good. 

_ But where would she go? _

She never left Spain in her life. Her family wasn't well-off growing-up so they didn't have the money for a vacation overseas and even their family trips within the country had been scarce. Even when she has been making her own money, her job wasn't exactly the type you could easily request a vacation for. Her ex-husband wasn't particularly a fan of travel either. While Raquel planned to pay her hometown of Bilbao a visit in the future to see how it has changed in the years that passed since her family moved to Madrid. Traveling within Spain was out of the question. Her newfound wanderlust could only be answered by crossing oceans and borders alike. 

Raquel briefly considered backpacking through Europe. She quickly dismissed the idea through, as she didn't see it to be something a woman of her age would do. She then considered one particular country and staying there for a few weeks, somewhere like Portugal. Raquel has always been intrigued by Lisbon and all of its sights and sounds and the options she had other than taking a plane to the city were a comforting to her as a first-time traveler. 

So for weeks, Raquel prepared to travel to Portugal. She looked into how she could get from Madrid to Lisbon. (Booking a direct flight from Madrid became the most appealing option to her the moment she found out that it will take more or less 10 hours to get to Lisbon by train or by bus.) She looked into hotels and a few Airbnb's. She started mapping out her itinerary for her stay in the city. Raquel was ready to see Torre de Belém and St George’s Castle, to visit the National Museum of Art, to have an early morning at the Café A Brasileira, to hop on one of the Remodelado streetcars that traverse through the streets of Lisbon... 

... until she stumbled upon a picture of a sunset from the shore of a white sand beach while scrolling through a travel blog one evening. Putting a name on the place only took Raquel a few clicks.

_ Palawan_ . 

After that Raquel, felt like she fell in a rabbit hole of some sort looking through the pictures of Palawan's landscape of clear skies and limestone cliffs and turquoise waters. Raquel lost hours upon hours getting to know Palawan, reading about the places to see and activities to try in the province. 

By the time Raquel had the urge to check the clock by the upper right-hand corner of her laptop, it was already two in the morning. She turned her laptop off and headed straight to bed.

That night, her dreams are invaded with the smell of salt in the air and the feeling of sand beneath her feet. 

///

Sergio woke up at exactly five in the morning local time.

Back when he was only visiting Palawan a few times a year, a week or two at a time, sleeping at a decent hour and waking up before noon had been the bane of his existence. Now that he's been living in El Nido for six months, he can already wake up before sunrise just as he did when he was back at home in Toledo with relative ease.

Waking up at such an ungodly hour (as Andres would describe it) every single day is.. a choice. Yet the view that's waiting for him from his balcony by the time he's got a hold of a steaming cup of coffee is enough of a motivation to just keep on doing it every single day. 

Other than watching the sunrise just for the beauty of it, he's come to rely on it to put him in the headspace he needed to be in for the next few hours. 

Ever since his arrival, his mornings are busy at best, but for a few minutes every day, he allowed himself the luxury of just  _ simply letting himself be _ : no financial reports to look into, no calls to make, no e-mails to respond to, no staff to check in with, no guests to make happy...

Today, he's out of his room by 6:15. 

Sergio might be in almost everyone's idea of a tropical paradise, but Monday in Palawan is the same as Monday anywhere else in the world. 

His morning starts with a visit to the kitchen, making sure that the delivery scheduled for the week on top of those scheduled for every day arrived without fail and that the kitchen staff are making the necessary preparations for breakfast to be served by 8. 

After that, he checks in with a few members of the cleaning and maintenance staff just to keep himself updated on the state of the rooms and their other facilities. 

The most important part of his Monday morning follows and it's his weekly sit-in meetings with the hotel's manager, Francisco Torres. It takes them almost two hours to discuss everything related to the hotel's day-to-day operations, from their budget to the staff, up to the room bookings they had for the week. 

The rest of his morning is in a completely different tone and it starts the moment he leaves Señor Torres's office when Sergio Marquina, owner of  _ Casa en La Playa _ vanishes without a trace and Sergio Marquina from Room 308 takes his place. 

///

Raquel schedules her trip to El Nido for the second to the last week of April and she books her tickets and her reservations three weeks before the date she's scheduled to leave. As she expected, the three weeks go by fast and when she found herself lugging her suitcase through Madrid–Barajas Airport with her passport and a plane ticket in one hand, it was like only yesterday that she even thought about going to Palawan in the first place.

The journey from Madrid to Manila already took Raquel 24 hours, already accounting for the layover in Istanbul. She was just thankful that the connecting flight from Manila to El Nido will only take a little over an hour. 

Any longer than that Raquel couldn't guarantee that she would not lose her mind.

Despite the long flight, Raquel barely slept. It didn't help that she also didn't get much sleep back when she was still at home. She spent the night tossing and turning in bed - it's been a long time since she's been equal parts nervous and excited about something in her life. She's tired and her legs were still numb from sitting for so long and the fact that she's the only one traveling alone among the passengers of the hotel's shuttle service did the exact opposite of improving her mood. 

In spite of that, everything that's been bothering her since her flight departed from Madrid was completely forgotten when she looked outside the van's window a few minutes after they left the airport parking lot.

Raquel felt like as if she was looking at a postcard, as her eyes were greeted with a long stretch of white sand and the crystal blue waters reflecting the midday sun...

She has seen the pictures, but Raquel wasn't prepared for Palawan to be that beautiful in person. 

The scenery briefly changes and the view of El Nido's stunning seaside scenery is replaced by stores, restaurants, hostels other establishments as well as a number of tourists out and about. The aroma of the street food being sold on the sidewalk invades the van as it passed by reminded her that it's been hours since her last proper meal.

The scenery changed back into the pristine beach and Raquel easily lost herself in the view. It was only when the car pulled into a stop that she realized that they were already in front of the hotel. She's one of the last passengers to get out of the van and with her suitcase by her side, she admired the building in front of her. White stucco walls, brown terracotta roofs, and surrounded by an impressive landscape. 

Raquel couldn't help but smile as she hears the distant sound of the waves as she entered the hotel lobby. 

"Good afternoon," the receptionist greets Raquel with a warm smile, "Welcome to _Casa en La Playa_. How may I help you?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's been a week since LCDP4 ended and I'm still so upset... 😌 Anyways ,I hope this chapter finds you in good health (I won't get tired of saying this every update haha) and I hope you enjoy this update!

**Day 1, Part One**

If anyone would ask Sergio if he missed home, he would find it difficult to answer.

His life in Palawan for the past few months is very different from his life in Toledo, to say at least. Sure, much of his day is still spent making phone calls, crunching numbers, looking into reports, and talking to staff, but the comfort that the familiarity of his work brings is often overshadowed by the fact that he's more than 7000 miles away from home.

Yes. He missed home. He missed the loud conversations that echoed through the house in Toledo. He missed having meals with everyone in the garden and sometimes, especially when the weather has already gone cold, in the dining hall in front of the fire. He kind of missed how sometimes the voices from outside his home office would distract him from work whether its the loud music from Silene's room, Cincinnati's excited squeals when running around the house, and even Denver's laughter...

For the first two weeks, the feeling was easy to ignore. It was just like it was when he would visit the hotel with Andres at least twice a year so they could see if everything was going well for themselves...

While he only planned to stay for a month, tomorrow would mark his fourth month in Palawan. While he can't stop himself from wanting to fly back home every now and then, his obligation to Andres and his responsibilities in the hotel is enough of a reason to push those thoughts away.  _ He needed to stay. _

So Sergio tries not to think about home too much. Palawan is beautiful. Being surrounded by sand and sea every day, Sergio could see why it's hard to imagine somewhere else to be. He's always appreciated the warm and convivial attitude of the people of Palawan. He might not be the most sociable person on the island, yet it was something he came to value in the last three months.

Most importantly, it's his Skype calls to Toledo that eases his homesickness the most. 

A quick glance at his watch told him that Agata was going to call any minute now. Sergio set up his laptop on the desk of his hotel room and placed his phone right next to it.

As if on cue, his phone chimed. A message from Agata came in, telling him that she'll be online in a few minutes. Sergio connected to the hotel wi-fi and opened Skype.

Moments later, Agata appeared on screen, coffee in hand.

"Buenos dias," greeted Sergio.

"Buenas tardes", Agata greeted back from her bedroom in Toledo. It was only recently that they finally settled on a make-shift schedule for their video calls. It was around three in the afternoon for Sergio which only meant that it was around nine in the morning for Agata. 

"Sorry to say that it's only going to be the two of us today," she continued. 

Sergio tried to hide his disappointment. "Where did everyone go?"

"Monica and Ricardo took Cinci to her parents' house last night. She said they're staying there until Friday. Hanibal got called to work a while ago, something about one of their servers going down. And well... the four of us might have gone out for drinks last night. I can only guess that Yashin and Silene won't be waking up anytime soon."

Sergio shook his head, chuckling. "It's good to know that you had fun."

"I can try calling again on Saturday afternoon so everyone's around?"

"I'd love that."

Agata took a sip from her cup and put it down. "Did you already see the report I emailed you yesterday?"

"I did. I suppose congratulations are in order."

"The goal is 2000 barrels by the end of the year so last month's numbers just meant that we're on track," Agata shrugged, but on her lips was a wide grin. "And besides, it's was a team effort."

"Last month's numbers were outstanding, Agata. We've never shipped out 200 barrels in a month before."

"All right.  _ Fine_." Agata laughed and raised her hands in mock surrender. "I guess I deserve a pat on the back."

In Andres and Sergio's absence, the family cidery in Toledo is placed under Agata's leadership. While it was difficult for Sergio to step away from the cidery so he could manage the affairs at  _ Casa en La Playa _in the beginning, he can't be more proud of how well Agata performed in her new role.

The conversation falls into their usual rhythm: Agata updates him on what's been happening in the cidery since the last time she called and since it was only just her today, Agata makes an effort to update him on what's been happening to the people at home as well.

After Agata ends her story about how they've been trying to teach Cincinnati how to play football recently, the way her smile falters slightly told Sergio where the rest of the conversation was going.

"How about you? Anything exciting?" 

"Nothing exciting, but I'm doing fine." Sergio swallowed. "The hotel's doing great."

"I read the report you sent out last Monday. We know the hotel's been doing great for the last two months." 

Agata sighed when he didn't say a word. "Sergio, do you even  _ plan _ to come home?"

Sergio thought that since Silene wasn't around, Agata would let him have it easy. The two had always been aggressive when it came around to his plan to come home (or the lack thereof.)

He thought wrong.

Sergio understands. He left Toledo telling everyone that he's only going to be in Palawan for a month. 

With every week that passed since he was supposed to go home, he could feel their frustration with him growing with their every call and defending his decision to stay longer only became progressively challenging. 

He knew that it was a losing fight, but he still chose to hold his ground. Agata relents... eventually. It wasn't as if they wouldn't bring be discussing the issue the next time they called. 

After they said goodbye and Agata's face disappeared from the screen of his laptop, Sergio could do nothing else but take a deep breath.

_ He needed a drink. _

Meanwhile, Raquel woke up from her nap feeling refreshed. 

She wasted no time to plop down the bed right after she closed the door of her hotel room behind her. To be fair, after her long flight, it was only a matter of time that her exhaustion got to her.

Raquel shifts to her side to get a proper view outside her window. She's just glad that the sun was still out so she still had time to see the rest of the hotel and walk down the beach before the day was over. Raquel quickly fixed herself up in the bathroom before heading out of the door with only her hotel keycard, her wallet, and her phone.

As Raquel familiarized herself with the hotel, she can't help but admire the effort that's been put in the design of the place. She read the reviews when she was looking for a place to stay and much of the praise was about how the overall feel of the hotel reminded people of the large villas by the sea in Costa Dorada. 

Deep inside Raquel knew that it was one of the reasons why she decided to go with Casa en La Playa in the end. She was looking for something new, but her anxiety as a first-time traveler had her looking for something familiar too and the hotel just hit the right spot.

Raquel took the elevator down to the lounge. The lounge opened to an outdoor sitting area and farther ahead was the sea. She followed the boardwalk to the beach and at the end of the path, Raquel wished that she had worn her swimsuit underneath her clothes. 

The way the water glistened was just so inviting.  It was almost painful to think that it took her a divorce and leaving her job for the last thirteen years for her to allow herself to experience something so beautiful.  Before she knew it, Raquel was blinking back tears. She tried to focus on the sound of the waves instead of thinking back to the last few months.  What's in the past can't hurt her now. She reminded herself.

She stayed at the beach for a while, watching the tide. When the afternoon heat got her craving for something to drink, Raquel found herself making her way to the gazebo that housed the hotel's outdoor bar. 

The bartender offered her a smile as she approached. " _Good afternoon, ma'am. What can I get you? _ " 

" _Can I have a margarita, please? _ " 

" _Would you like it on the rocks or blended? _ " The bartender took a small pad of paper from his pocket and wrote down her order.

" _Blended, please. _ "

" _With or without salt? _ "

" _With salt. _ "

Her phone starts buzzing right after she takes a seat on one of the barstools. Seeing her mother's name on the display, Raquel immediately picked up the call.

"Hello, mamá? Is everything all right?" 

Her heartbeat quickened when her mother didn't reply.

"Hello? Mamá?" Raquel removed her phone from her ear only to discover that her phone has died. She repeatedly pressed the power button in frustration. She's sure that her battery was far from going out when she left her room. 

The bartender slid her margarita in front of her.

" _Excuse me, do you have a phone charger? _ " Raquel asked.

" _Sorry, ma'am. I don't have mine with me. _ "

Raquel was just about to pay for her margarita so she could run back to her hotel room to plug in her phone when a voice to her left spoke.

"Do you want to use mine?"

******

_ "Hello, mamá? Is everything all right?" _

Sergio could argue that he was getting used to almost everyone around him speaking in English that the sound of someone speaking in his native language within his vicinity would certainly get his attention.

So he immediately turns his head to the opposite end of the bar when he heard her voice.

It was safe to say that he was not prepared for what he saw.

_ She's beautiful. _

Sergio promptly returned his attention to the wine that's been keeping him company for the last thirty minutes. Or at least, he  _ tried  _ to. 

" _Excuse me, do you have a phone charger? _ " He heard her ask the bartender and saw how her frustration turned into disappointment when he said no.

"Do you want to use mine?" Just like that, the words were out of his mouth and he had already pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

She looked at him with wide eyes. 

He cursed himself internally.  _ He messed up. _ There was never a moment in his life that he wished that the ground would swallow him up - until now.

To make matters worse, he could see from the corner of his eye that the bartender, Alvin, watching him with amusement. If he wasn't as good as he was in his job and granted that Sergio would survive the next few minutes without dying from shame, Sergio would absolutely consider the possibility of firing him. 

Sergio's only consolation was that it was just the three of them at the bar. 

"Really? You don't mind?"

Sergio had to physically stop himself from sighing from relief when she spoke. "No."

"Are you sure?" Raquel watched him unlock his phone with a fingerprint before handing it phone over. After a brief hesitation, Raquel carefully took the phone with both hands.

"I'm going to call my mother back in Spain," she explained.

"It's all right."

"Thanks a lot." Raquel immediately dialed her mother's phone number. 

"Hello?"

"Mamá, it's Raquel. Are you okay?"

"Mija! I'm fine. Your tía and I just finished breakfast. How are you? You said you were going to send me a message when you arrived in the Philippines, but I never got anything. I tried called you a while ago but the call disconnected."

"Sorry, mamá. I was going to call before I boarded my flight to Palawan, but it slipped my mind." Raquel ran her free hand down her face, embarrassed. "...and I fell asleep almost immediately when I got to the hotel." She added.

"Did you get yourself a number sim card? I didn't recognize the phone number on the screen a while ago."

"No. My phone died when you were calling earlier. I don't have a charger with me at the moment so I borrowed someone's phone so I can call you back."

Raquel took a glance at the man who returned to his wine at the other end of the bar.

"I see, I see. How's Palawan so far?" 

She watched as he adjusted his eyeglasses on the bridge of his nose. A nervous habit, perhaps? Raquel bit her lip. Nervous habit or not, maybe she found it to be a little bit charming. 

_ Shit. _

"Raquel?  _ Are you still there_?"

Her mother's voice brought her back to reality.

"Sorry, mamá. I didn't quite hear you."

"How's Palawan so far?"

"It's beautiful, and the weather's just perfect." She turns her back from the bar to face the direction of the beach. "I think you'll love it here." 

Marivi chuckled. "Maybe someday."

"I have to return the phone now. I'll call you again soon."

"Bye, mija. Take care."

"Take care of yourself, too. Talk to you soon."

******

"Thank you," said Raquel as she gave the phone back. "I didn't mean to take too long."

"You're welcome." Sergio slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Is everything all right with your mother?" 

"Everything's fine. Thank you."

"Good. I'm glad."

"I'm sorry," Raquel replied with an apologetic look. "I took your phone and I didn't even ask for your name."

"It's Sergio. Sergio Marquina."

"Thanks a lot, Sergio."

"Don't worry about it..." 

"Raquel Murillo," Raquel supplied.  "Oh, wait," Raquel walked back to her seat earlier to fetch her belongings. She returned almost immediately, offering two one hundred peso bills. "For the roaming charges. I'm not sure if it's enough but–"

"No need."

"Please.  _ I insist_. I know how expensive international calls can be."

"No, Raquel."

"Please?" Raquel inched her hand holding the bills closer to Sergio.

"No. Don't worry about it, really. I'm using a local mobile carrier and their rates are pretty cheap."

" _Fine. _ " 

She reluctantly put the peso bills back into her wallet. "Can I at least pay for your drink?" 

Sergio chuckled at her stubbornness but hesitated on his answer.  "I... I already paid." 

"Oh."

Sergio racked his brain for something to say. After a few beats passed without coming up with anything, Sergio drank a bit of wine to mask the panic that he was starting to feel.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Raquel pointed at the stool right next to Sergio, but seeing the surprise in his face, she continued: "It's fine if you don't want to... I could just–"

"Sure. I– I don't mind."

Raquel smiled. "I'll just get my drink..." She crooked her head to where she had left her margarita, but as she was turning to leave, the bartender had already brought her margarita in front of her. 

"Thank you," she said before taking a seat and the wink and the glare exchanged by the bartender and Sergio slipped past her unnoticed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that lines of dialogue in italic are meant to be in "English" story-wise hehe
> 
> I hope everyone's keeping themselves healthy ❤

**Day 2, Part Two**

The momentary awkwardness the atmosphere around them plunged into right after Raquel took her seat on the stool right next to Sergio almost convinced her that she made a terrible choice. She should've simply said her thanks to the kind stranger that lent her his phone and drank her margarita in peace at the other end of the bar. Instead, even without a drop of alcohol in her system, she decided to make the rash decision of asking Sergio if she could join him.

It seemed to be a good idea at first, the sociable choice: they were alone at the bar except for the bartender and she thought that it would be more awkward if they just ignored each other until one of them left. 

However, now that Sergio seemed completely transfixed by his wine for a whole minute, the alternative where she minded her own business isn't looking too bad to Raquel.

She spared a sideways glance at Sergio's direction. When he picked up his wine glass to take a sip, Raquel found herself doing the same with her margarita.

Her margarita isn't as cold as she wanted it to be anymore but everything else just hits the spot. The path that the tequila traced down her throat was also a pleasant distraction from what could be one of the most awkward encounters she had in years.

Maybe it's because she's drinking when she hasn't eaten anything in hours, but Raquel decided to take it upon herself to break the ice since she got them into their current situation. She ended up drinking more than she should have in one go. Her younger self might disagree but there's nothing wrong with a little liquid courage, right? 

When she finally put her drink down and glanced to her left again, Raquel is surprised that her eyes met his.

The voice in her head screamed, "say something." Yet, the seconds ticked by and Raquel couldn't think of anything.

"So... where are you from?" 

The sound of Sergio's voice roused Raquel from her reverie. The corners of his lips curved into a nervous smile. Completely unbeknownst to Raquel, Sergio had to mentally push himself off a cliff just to get the words out of his mouth.

"I'm from Madrid. You?" Raquel managed to say.

"Toledo, but I was born in San Sebastian."

"That's interesting. My family's from Bilbao." Raquel was amazed at how it seemed that they're within each other's vicinity in Spain but their paths managed to cross paths in a foreign country.

"Really?"

Raquel nodded, smiling. "You speak Basque?"

"Sadly no. We had to move to Toledo when I was really young and papá tried to teach my older brother but he was just a lost cause so he just never tried again."

"Your brother sounds like a challenge."

"He sure is," said Sergio before taking a generous gulp of wine. "Our papá is as patient as a parent could be but my brother is just something else." His smile is much more relaxed now. 

"How about you? Do you speak Basque?"

"Uh-huh. I was about to start high school when my family moved to Madrid and we used it as much as we can at home. I guess I'm fortunate enough to grow up with it."

"Do you still visit Bilbao often?"

"No... I never had a chance to go back since we moved. I went to college then work came along. I've been meaning to visit for years but I never just got around to it."

A small group of guests entering the bar caught their attention. Sergio recognized the group of Americans that arrived two days ago and Raquel took the opportunity to get back to her margarita. After the guests were done ordering their drinks and walked away from the bar to take a seat at one of the tables near the entrance, Raquel turned to Sergio again.

"How long have you been in Palawan?" She asked and it's one in the list of questions Sergio desperately wanted to avoid in his brief interactions with the guests ever since. Considering the length of his current stay, Sergio quickly came up with a number in his head. Trying his best to keep his tone neutral, he answered "A month."

"A month?!" Raquel repeated, with her eyebrows raised.

A nervous lap escaped Sergio's lips despite himself. "Yes, and it's been a lovely month so far."

"I was more concerned with your hotel bill but it's nice to know that you're having a good time," replied Raquel with a smirk and Sergio felt his ears turn red.

"It's not as expensive as the other hotels in the area," Sergio defended himself. 

"I know but it's not the cheapest place to book a month-long stay in either. And I take it that you're staying here for longer? You must really love this place then."

"I've been here a lot of times with family. I guess you can say that I have fond memories of this place. The view from my room and the food isn't too bad either." 

"I see. So are you traveling with family?" If Raquel would ever admit to sneaking a peek at his ring finger when Sergio drank from his wine glass earlier, she could say that it was simply out of pure curiosity.

Sergio shook his head and said, "It's just me this time." 

He rested both of his hands on the counter with his fingers laced together. "I don't remember seeing you around here before," he began. "I take it that you just got here recently?"

Raquel stifled a laugh but failed. "Sorry. I thought you were going to say a really bad pick-up line because of how you started." Sergio became so visibly flustered that Raquel almost regrets that she mentioned it. 

"Oh. I- I didn't... I mean–"

Raquel gave him an apologetic look. "Look it's really my fault. And to answer your question, I just checked in today. I’m staying here for two weeks."

"Taking a vacation from work?" The heat in Sergio's cheeks started to subside.

Raquel lightly drummed the fingers of her right hand on the outside of her glass. "I left my job around 3 months ago so not really."

A pause. Sergio watched as Raquel drank her margarita. It's freeing but also still a bit nerve-wracking for Raquel to talk about what she now considered as her old life. Talking about it to someone who she had just met was not something she expected to go through on her first day in Palawan. 

"If you don't mind me asking... what was your job before?"

"I was a police inspector." 

"Oh wow." For a moment, Sergio could only stare at Raquel in amazement. "Is it as intense as they make it to be in the movies?"

"I think you'd be surprised by the amount of paperwork I had to deal with every single day." Raquel groaned. "But sometimes… the job does have its moments."

It’s hard to miss the sadness that briefly passed over Raquel’s eyes. While it made Sergio want to ask her more about her job and what made her decide to leave, he decided that letting his curiosity go was for the better.

"How about you? What kind of job does someone need to have so they could just live their life in a beautiful hotel in the Philippines?" Raquel asked, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Sergio opted for his usual answer: "I work in our family business," he replied and Raquel raised an eyebrow at him.

"I hope that's not a code for anything illegal. Like drugs.”

Sergio laughed. "Not at all. We mainly have our cidery in Toledo. 100% legal. We follow every rule in the book. I assure you, _Inspectora_." 

Raquel didn't expect to feel the way she did with the use of her old job title. After taking a second to recover, she spoke.

“Now tell me, where do I have to go to get a hold of some Marquina family cider?”

“We supply pubs and restaurants in Toledo but most of our cider is shipped up north. If you find yourself in the area, there’s a good chance you’ll find a bottle of _Doña Ines_ at the store.”

Raquel made a mental note of the name of the cider’s brand. Sergio's eyes drifted to his glass and only then did he notice that he was down to a third of his wine. He usually refused to more than a glass of any alcoholic drink during the day but he was positively considering getting a refill seeing that Raquel wasn't even halfway done with her margarita. 

“Must be interesting, working with family,” noted Raquel.

“Interesting is one word to describe it,” Sergio chuckled, “So is ‘difficult’.”

Raquel snorted. “Well, you haven’t seen half the people I had to work with.” 

“I can only imagine.”

Raquel hummed in approval. 

“Is that why you left?” Sergio asked after one moment’s hesitation. 

Raquel pursed her lips before answering. “… It was one of the reasons.” She then shook her head lightly as if to drive her thoughts away. “Any way I could see why could be difficult working with family. It’s not hard to imagine how a problem at work can be a problem at home and vise versa.

“Exactly.” Sergio thought back to the many times they’ve failed to keep home and work separate and his mind zeroed in one involving Andres and Agata.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon exchanging stories. Raquel shared a few of the pleasant memories she made during her time in the police force and Sergio told her some of the incidents concerning work and his family. Hours passed by in a blur and without the two of them knowing, they both emptied their respective glasses in between conversation. 

*****

"Thanks again for letting me use your phone and thank you for your company," said Raquel with a smile. The way the light of the setting sun behind them illuminated her features was making it hard for Sergio to think about anything else.

Sergio returned her smile. "See you around?"

Raquel nodded before taking her phone, wallet, and keycard right next her now empty cocktail glass. She then waved goodbye before heading back to the hotel. 

The bar was full and cocktail hour was in full swing but the empty seat right next to him made all the difference for Sergio. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts. The bartender came up to him from the opposite side of the bar holding the bottle of the red wine he was drinking earlier.

" _You look like you need a refill, Sir_." Sergio raised his glass so Alvin could fill it. 

" _Don't worry. It's on the house._ "

Sergio chuckled and rolled his eyes. Alvin returned to the guests who were waiting in line leaving Sergio alone with his wine. The sound of talk and laughter around him was picking up. Usually, when he's at the bar at this hour, he'd be more engaged in looking to see if the guests are happy with their drinks and no one's stirring any kind of trouble. Sergio glanced at the unoccupied bar stool right next to him. He's distracted all right, but he doesn't remember feeling this _light_ for a long time. 

*****

Raquel opted for an early dinner at the hotel's restaurant. The whole space was inviting, decorated in the same style as the rest of the hotel. She chose a table for two near the large windows so she had a view of the beach and watch the sunset while she ate. A waiter handed her a menu and she's pleasantly surprised by the array of Spanish food they had available alongside the Filipino dishes. She ended up ordering a seafood paella but promised to herself that she'd try some of the local food next time.

A number of guests came into the restaurant while Raquel waited for her food to arrive and Raquel immediately noticed how none of them were dining alone. In a short amount of time, more than half of the tables were already occupied and Raquel found herself among families, couples, and groups of friends. The sound of different languages mingling together provided her with some form of entertainment but barely distracted her from the empty seat in front of her.

Raquel thought back to her afternoon, or more specifically, to the person she ended up spending her afternoon with. Despite their initial awkwardness, she genuinely enjoyed Sergio's company. Perhaps, if she wasn't starting to feel the effect of drinking alcohol with an empty stomach, she would've stayed for another drink to talk with him for a while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it ❤


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you're doing well and keeping yourselves healthy!
> 
> A little disclaimer: I've never been to Palawan so everything on here is just me working with what i can find on the internet. feel free to correct me if i make a mistake! 
> 
> this chapter was the most fun to write so far haha it's quite sweet (literally!) so I hope you enjoy it!

**Day 2, Part One**

Sergio could count on one hand the number of times he spent the night at their house since he got to El Nido. He slept in his bedroom the night he arrived, but he moved to his current room at the hotel the next morning, taking all of his things with him. The place was far too big and far too quiet and he felt completely out of place with just him being there.

These days, however, he’s been trying to will himself into staying in the house more frequently. He’s aware that there would come a time that he would have to give up his hotel room. Starting with sleeping in his own bedroom at least once a week, he’s making some sort of progress. Instead of working from his hotel room, these days he's been going to the house to get his work done there too.

With his laptop sleeve tucked under his arm, he locked his hotel room behind him and made his way to the beach. It was a nice day out and many of the guests were taking advantage of the beautiful morning weather. Sunbathing, building sandcastles, and swimming at sea. While it seemed that everyone was very much occupied, Sergio still looked around just to see if anyone was following him with curious eyes. Satisfied in finding none, he slightly picked up the pace.

While the previous owners built a fence to separate the whole land area between their house and the hotel, they had a long narrow pathway leading from the hotel’s side of the beach to the gate of the side garden of the house. The time it took to get to the house this way wasn’t exactly short, but it was faster compared to walking down the street from the front of the hotel. The path itself was almost hidden from view by the palm trees and the shrubs growing around it, making it nearly impossible to be discovered by guests on accident.

On the outside, the house can’t be any more different than the hotel: it was much closer design-wise to the villas all around Palawan.

By the time he got to the door, Sergio’s forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He placed his laptop on the dining table and immediately turned on the fan. He proceeded to open windows and the sliding doors leading to the back porch. By the time he’s seated at the dining table in front of his laptop facing the sea just outside, the house is significantly cooler with the breeze coming in from outside.

It was definitely an improvement from his usual set-up back at the hotel. The only downside to it was that he had no access to the internet.

Nevertheless, he loaded the draft of the contract for one of their suppliers back in Spain. He needed to get as much work done before he had to leave in the afternoon.

*****

Raquel woke up to sunlight coming into her hotel room. Raquel got up slowly and walked over to the door to the balcony. She opened up the curtains, letting more light in, and so she could appreciate the view she had of the sky, all bright and blue. Looking down at the beach, she could see that a lot of the guests were already enjoying the perfect morning weather. She looked forward to

Raquel walked back to the nightstand to check on her phone that she left charging overnight. Much to her frustration, her phone remained dead just as it was hours before. She pressed on the power button once, then twice. Her reflection remained on the screen as her phone refused to turn on. Raquel cursed under her breath.

It seemed that her plans for the morning have to be postponed until she got her phone fixed.

But first, breakfast. She made a promise to herself that ordering room service was her last refuge. Yet there she was, on her second day in Palawan, ordering in. She kept her meal order simple: a cup of decaf and a bowl of sliced fruits from the room service menu. After the attendant informed her that her meal would be delivered in 20 minutes, Raquel took the opportunity to hop in the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed for the day.

Only when she put on her wristwatch and seeing the time in Madrid did she realize her mistake. Her “morning” plans be damned. She woke up _terribly_ late. Raquel ran her hand through her wet hair. She seriously had to work on her sleeping schedule for the next few days so she could make the best out of her stay.

The arrival of her breakfast prevented her from being even more annoyed with her current situation.

“ _Good afternoon, Ms. Murillo. Where would you like the tray?_ ” asked the room service attendant.

“ _Just put it here please._ ” Raquel directed her to the small dining table right next to the TV.

The attendant excused herself and left. Raquel took a sip of coffee and contemplated on her plans for the day. If she was lucky enough to even find a place to get her phone fixed, she can only hope that she had some time left to take a swim before the sun had set. There were still some areas in the hotel that she hasn’t been to and she’s definitely interested in seeing the owner’s art collection in the hotel’s art gallery on the second floor.

Raquel packed her a small tote bag of her things after finishing her meal. She placed her room service tray just outside her door before going down to the hotel lobby.

“ _Excuse me. Do you know a place where I can get my phone fixed?_ ” Raquel asked the front desk clerk.

“ _There are repair shops in town that work on phones too but you’d have to take a tricycle to get there, ma’am._ ”

“ _Where can I get a ride?_ ”

“ _There are tricycles passing by down the road from the hotel. I could ask one of the staff to hail one for you while you wait in the lobby._ ”

Raquel shook her head. “ _I’d like to do it myself. Thanks anyway._ ”

*****

When Raquel made a left turn from the hotel’s driveway, the walk ahead of her made her thankful that she wore jeans and that her sandals were sturdy.

She had just someone adjusting the mirrors on their motorcycle when a familiar voice called out her name.

“Raquel?”

Raquel turned around quickly. It took her mind a couple of seconds to register the sight in front of her. The man on the motorcycle was none other than Sergio.

“Hi.” Sergio greeted in a soft voice.

“Hello.” She greeted back. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she asked: “Is the motorcycle yours?” 

“I just rented it. For getting around,” answered Sergio. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m on my way to get a tricycle. I need to go to town to get my phone fixed.”

“I know a place.” Sergio winced internally. He didn’t mean to sound so _eager_. “We had to find one since my sister… she dropped her phone in the pool the last time she was here.”

“Can you give me the directions?”

“I… I could take you there if you’d like.” Sergio offered.

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

Sergio shook his head. “I’m also going to town anyway.”

Raquel looked at Sergio then his motorcycle. Was she really about to get on a motorcycle with a man that she’d just met yesterday?

Making up her mind, Raquel asked: “Do you have another helmet?”

*****

Sergio has driven down the same route so many times before that he’s confident that he’s close to memorizing the scenery.

The beach to his left stretched for miles only obstructed from view by the different lodging options for tourists and small clusters of smaller establishments like souvenir shops and bars. Even the broken down patches on the road have become familiar enough that slowing down when driving through them already became a second instinct to him.

Sergio convinced himself that there was nothing out of the ordinary with this particular trip to the town. Yet his mind kept on drifting to Raquel’s arms around his waist.

The last time he drove with a passenger was with Silene and she spent the entire time talking into his ear about driving faster. Sergio could easily trade his irritation then to the nervousness that he’s feeling now.

Was he checking the side mirror more frequently than he should?

He was absolutely horrified by the thought of being distracted while driving. Sergio checked the side mirror again just to confirm his suspicion. There was no one on the road behind them.

Raquel remembered the route from the day she arrived. It was the same route that van had taken from the airport to the hotel but seeing the view without being in a closed vehicle made all the difference to her.

She averted her eyes from the sea for a second to look at Sergio’s reflection on one of the side mirrors.

He’s completely focused on the road. Raquel could only guess that the road they were driving on has seen better days but Sergio drove through each bump and crack on the road with ease. She was impressed. She’s no stranger to motorcycles since she had to learn how to ride one back when she was in the academy, and Sergio drove more carefully than the motor officers she had to work with.

She felt safe with his driving. On the other hand, she was trying her best to be a good passenger.

Raquel reminded herself that in the absence of any handlebars to hold on to, having your hands on both sides of the driver’s waist is a safety imperative.

*****

The streets in town were busy not only with tricycles and motorcycles but also tourists and vendors who were going about on foot. Every now and then they were forced to stop because of the heavy traffic. The repair shop was in an uncrowded area where the shops and restaurants that dominated most parts of town were replaced by houses, hostels, and B&Bs.

Sergio stopped right in front of the shop. At the entrance, hung a cheery sign that read: ‘CELLPHONE REPAIR! WE WORK ON ALL TYPES OF PHONES!’

“How did you find this place?” asked Raquel as she removed her helmet.

“We found it on Facebook.” Sergio took his own helmet off and took Raquel from hers to keep both in the motorcycle’s top box.

They walked into the shop together. A man on the opposite side of the counter greeted them with a smile.

“ _How can I help you?_ ”

Raquel took the phone out of her bag. “ _My phone won’t charge._ ”

The man, who Raquel assumed to be a phone technician, pressed on the power button repeatedly just like Raquel did earlier and got the same result.

“ _Did you drop it in water?_ ” He asked.

“ _No…_ ” Raquel replied, shaking her head.

“ _Have you tried leaving it plugged in for a few hours?_ ”

“ _I did. I charged it overnight and nothing changed when I woke up this morning._ ”

“ _Can I take a look at the charger too?_ ”

Raquel handed over her charger and the man plugged in his own phone to test it. His phone’s screen lit up as soon as he connected the cable.

“ _Charger looks fine. I still have to double-check but we might have to replace the battery._ ”

“ _How much would that cost?_ ”

“ _P3,000 for everything including the service fee._ ”

*****

The phone technician told them that it would take him around an hour and directed them to a plastic bench outside the shop where they could sit while they waited.

Raquel let out a heavy sigh as she sat down and Sergio looked at her concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” said Raquel with a chuckle. “I just remembered how different phones are nowadays. I had one of those Nokia phones back then. I used it for years and it never broke. I think I still have it somewhere in my mother’s house.”

“Those things were built to last forever,” Sergio noted. “I think it’s absolutely absurd that phones nowadays are break easier but they’re much, much more expensive.”

“I know. I just paid almost a third of a night’s stay at the hotel just to get my phone fixed. It’s _ridiculous_.”

“Makes you miss just having a flip phone, doesn’t it?”

Raquel laughed. “I had one of the gray ones with the little antenna.”

“I did too. Those days you can barely do anything with a phone except text or call.” Sergio turned to Raquel. “Is it okay if I leave for a while? I just have to drop something off nearby. I won’t be long.”

“…Sure.”

Sergio already drove off before Raquel could suggest that he return to the hotel without her.

*****

“I bought us a snack,” Sergio announced upon his return, handing Raquel a brown bag. Raquel opened the bag cautiously and her brow furrowed in curiosity when she saw what was inside.

“Are these… bananas?”

Sergio returned to his seat right next to her. “They call it a banana cue.” 

Raquel studied the contents of the bag again. There were two bamboo sticks inside and two fried bananas were skewered on each.

“They’re cooked with brown sugar that’s why they look that way,” Sergio explained seeing her intrigued expression.

Raquel took one banana cue out of the bag and Sergio took the other. Raquel watched Sergio take a bite before doing the same.

Her face lit up. “It’s really good.”

“It’s like eating candy.”

“Snacks like these are dangerous,” she began. “It’s just so easy to lie to yourself that you’re eating healthy.”

“Tell me about it,” Sergio grinned. “I’ve been so eating so much more sweets than I usually do since I got here.”He gave his stomach a slight pat. “I already gained a bit of weight since I got here.”

Raquel’s eyes trailed down his arm before taking another bite of the banana cue. “I find it hard to believe.”

“Hmm?”

“I… I just didn’t peg you as someone with a sweet tooth.”

“Me neither, but I guess it’s hard not to have a sweet tooth when you’re surrounded by good desserts all the time.”

They finished eating just in time for when the technician called them up to give Raquel’s phone back.

Raquel noticed the speck Sergio’s cheek as they were standing up. “You have something on your cheek,” she pointed out. Sergio wiped at the side of his face with the back of his hand but missed the spot. “Did I get it?” 

“No.”

Sergio wiped at his cheek again but the speck remained in place. “How about now?”

“It’s still there,” Raquel said in an amused tone. “Let me do it.” She took a step closer and Sergio froze in place. “I think it’s brown sugar.” Raquel wiped the spot with her thumb. “There you go.”

“…Thanks.”

Only when Raquel walked back into the shop did Sergio let go of the breath that he didn’t know that he was holding.

******

Raquel put her phone back into her bag and said her thanks to the technician. She silently begged to not run into any problems with her phone for the rest of the trip.

Sergio and Raquel walked back to the motorcycle in companionable silence. It was when he was handing Raquel her helmet that his stomach started to growl. Loudly.

Their eyes locked. Raquel suppressed a giggle, seeing Sergio looking mortified.

“Why don’t we find somewhere to eat before heading back?” Raquel suggested with a smile and Sergio could only nod silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell i had a bit of fun reading about Filipino food/snacks in this chapter? also, i just had to write a motorcycle scene because i feel like we've been robbed for 2 seasons 😂
> 
> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it ❤


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this chapter finds you well again 😬
> 
> TW: mention of abuse in the latter part of the chapter please be informed of this before proceeding! also repeating my little disclaimer from last chapter: I've never been to Palawan so everything on here is just me working with what i can find on the internet. feel free to correct me if i make a mistake!
> 
> someone i was very excited to write into the story finally makes an appearance, can you guess who it is?

**Day 2, Part Two**

They left the motorcycle in the paid parking space located near the center of the town. With the grumbling of Sergio's stomach, Raquel understood that it was best that they decide on where they'll be eating as quickly as possible. She left the decision to Sergio but strongly suggested that they eat somewhere that served Filipino food.  
  
She read a lot about the El Nido being a venue for many international cuisines. It was still a little entertaining to see other tourists leave a pho place just to buy a slice of pizza from the stall right next to it.  
  
"I have a place in mind," Sergio said after a bit of consideration. Sergio led the way with so much ease and Raquel wondered just how familiar he is with El Nido.

  
  
******

  
  
" _Mama, Sergio's here!_ "  
  
Someone called out just as they stepped in the threshold of Cynthia's Kitchen. A teenage girl smiled brightly at Sergio and Raquel from behind the cash register before she checked the room for a free table and Sergio and Raquel did the same from where they were standing by the doorway. Seeing that all the tables were taken, the girl suggested that they head upstairs.  
  
The place smelled absolutely delicious. The grill they had upfront turned out to just be the start. Sergio and Raquel were both guilty of a peek or two at what the diners were already enjoying at their tables when they were walking towards the stairs.  
  
They sat at a table in the upstairs balcony, giving them a view of the busy street below. A waiter approached their table and gave each of them a menu before leaving them to decide.  
  
"Is there anything you'd like to try?" Sergio asked just as Raquel finished quickly scanning through their options. She looked at the pictures intently. Everything looked appetizing.  
  
"What do you recommend?"  
  
"Are you allergic to seafood?"  
  
"No."  
  
Sergio laid his copy of the menu on the table and pointed at the seafood section. "What about grilled squid?"  
  
Raquel felt her mouth water slightly. She was starting to feel the effects of just having fruit and a cup of coffee for breakfast. "Sure. Anything else?"  
  
"Do you want to try the shrimp _sinigang_?" Sergio at a picture of what looked like shrimp soup to Raquel. "It's a sour stew with shrimp and vegetables." Raquel agreed and Sergio called on to one of the waiters to take their orders.  
  
Raquel looked at Sergio from across the table who had his eyes onto the street below. She's only been in Palawan for a day but he's somehow managed to help her twice, from yesterday's incident with her mother and her phone completely giving up on her this morning. Somehow, he's at the right place at the right time to lend her a hand. She doesn't want to dwell too much on it, but it's been on her mind since she was waiting for him to come back when he left her at the repair shop a while ago.  
  
"Sergio?" He turned his attention back to Raquel. "Thank you for helping me get my phone fixed. I owe you another one."  
  
"You're welcome, but you don't owe me anything." Sergio averted his head second. "I'm just happy to help."  
  
"Let me at least pay for lunch."  
  
"Raquel..." Sergio began, but Raquel shook her head.  
  
"I'm not taking no for an answer this time." Raquel offered a smile, shrugging slightly, and Sergio agreed, albeit reluctantly.  
  
Their order arrived accompanied by two plates of rice. The waiter followed up with a pitcher of ice and two empty glasses filled with iced cubes.  
  
"Try the _sinigang_ first," Sergio told Raquel as he poured them a drink.  
  
Raquel blew on the soup on her spoon before taking a sip. "Wow." Raquel took another sip. "That makes me even more thankful that I don't have any seafood allergy."  
  
"Wait until you taste the squid." Taking a fork and a knife, Sergio cut the squid in half, placing half it on Raquel's plate and the other half on his. Raquel ate a piece of squid and some of the tomato and onion that it was stuffed with some rice. All Sergio could do was stare for a moment just as the joy surged through his chest seeing her eyes shine with delight.

  
*****

  
  
" _Sergio! Kamusta? It's been a while._ "  
  
They had just finished their meal when a woman in her 50s came up to their table with a small plate of sliced mangoes in one hand. Raquel saw the resemblance in her smile from earlier. "Mia told me you came in but I was in the middle of something. Here, have some mangoes."  
  
The woman turned to Raquel. " _Hello. I don't think we've met before._ "  
  
" _Cynthia, this is Raquel. Raquel, this is Cynthia._ " Sergio introduced them quickly.  
  
The name instantly clicked. " _Nice to meet you, Cynthia._ " Raquel shook Cynthia's hand.  
  
" _How are things at the hotel?_ " Cynthia asked Sergio.  
  
" _Good_." He opted for a curt reply. The hotel wasn't exactly an ideal conversation topic. given his current company. " _The food was amazing_." He ended up blurting out.  
  
" _You say that every time you come here_." Cynthia rolled her eyes playfully. " _I'm more interested in hearing what Raquel thinks. How was the food, dear?_ "  
  
" _I never thought squid could taste that good and it's my first time eating sinigang but I thought it was such a treat._ "  
  
Cynthia beamed at her words.  
  
" _So where's the rest of the family? I was surprised I looked at your usual table downstairs and didn't see you there._ "  
  
" _They're back at home_ ," Sergio answered.  
  
Cynthia raised a quizzical eyebrow at Sergio before alternating her gaze between him and Raquel. " _So it's just the of you?_ "  
  
Sergio nodded slightly.  
  
" _Oh. I see..._ " Cynthia chuckled. " _I better head back to the kitchen. You two lovebirds enjoy your dessert!_ "  
  
Sergio and Raquel shared an alarmed look upon registering her words.  
  
" _Oh no. Cynthia–_ " Sergio attempted an explanation but Cynthia only gave him a knowing smirk before disappearing down the stairs.  
  
"S-sorry." Sergio stammered. "Cynthia's a friend of the family and well..." He trailed off.  
  
Raquel tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's okay. No harm done." She gave him a reassuring smile before pointing at the plate of mangoes in front of them. "So dessert?"  
  
They both took a third of a mango. "You must be coming here a lot that you're friends with the owner," Raquel pointed out.  
  
"This place is one of our go-to places to eat at when we're in El Nido. I guess we've made an impression on Cynthia and her family over the years."  
  
They could be a loud bunch and even without Ricardo's laughter that terrorized the other diners, Sergio was sure that they'd be sent out the first time they ate there. He was more than convinced that she was about to just do that when Cynthia approached their table back then and introduced herself as the owner of the establishment. Much to his surprise, she simply talked them through the menu and suggested items on it that they might like. From then on, they always came back to the place every time they were in Palawan.  
  
"Years?" Raquel repeated. "How long have you been coming to Palawan anyway?"  
  
"We started coming here eight years ago."  
  
Raquel looked at him, her mouth slightly agape. It made even more sense that he knew his way around town like the back of his hand. "Your family must have your reasons to keep on coming back."

  
  
******

  
  
Toledo, Spain  
Eight years ago.  
  
  
"What do you think about taking a trip to the Philippines?" Andres asked. It was only the two of them in the dining room. Andres took out a bottle of his favorite whiskey for the two of them to enjoy.  
  
Sergio looked at his brother intently. His tone might be casual but the look on his face told another story. "Is there a reason why you specifically want to go to the Philippines?"  
  
"I want to go somewhere warm with you all. Somewhere I'd get a nice tan."  
  
Sergio scoffed. "We don't have to go halfway across the world to go to the beach, Andres." While Andres has always loved going to the beach since they were children. Sergio, on the other hand, was quite the opposite even when he was well enough to go outside. He just preferred places that there was a lot less sand.  
  
"But where's the fun in that?" Andres finished his whiskey and poured himself another one. "You know that went to Palawan once with Tatiana–" He winced slightly at the mention of his ex-wife. "I fell in love with the place and I want to come back with all of you. I know you're not a big fan of the beach but I'm sure Palawan will change your mind."  
  
Sergio watched as Andres swirled the drink in his glass. His brother was never good at dancing around a subject so it was always just a matter of waiting for the shoe to drop.  
  
"The truth is I've been looking into some real estate in Palawan. El Nido, specifically."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Doesn't matter." Andres waved him off. "What's important is that I found a place that I really like and I've already made an offer."  
  
"Why didn't you consult me first?" Sergio's voice rose slightly towards the end.  
  
"It was something I wanted to do on my own." Sergio saw Andres's hand tighten around his glass. A few tense seconds later, his expression visibly relaxed. "Don't worry about the money either. What I got when Tatiana and I sold the house in Sicily was enough to pay for most of it."  
  
Sergio drank his remaining whiskey then set his tumbler down on the dining table. He had no intention to get a refill but Andres had other plans.  
  
"I'm not going to live any longer _hermanito_ , but I still want to live my life," said Andres as he handed Sergio back his glass.  
  
"I know," Sergio muttered back in a soft voice. They’ve known for years, but knowing didn’t really make it any easier.

  
Andres gave him a half-smile. "In that case, I might have a business proposal for you."

  
******

  
  
"How about you? Have you been to Palawan before?"  
  
"It's my first time here." Raquel set down her spoon. She had finished her share of the mangoes. "It's my first time traveling outside of Spain actually." She admitted shyly.  
  
"And you chose the Philippines?" It was Sergio's time to be impressed. There was not a lack of places to see in Europe. He could see how the long flight to get to the Philippines alone was enough to deter any first-time travelers.  
  
"I was planning on going to Portugal at first but I changed my mind."  
  
"What happened?"

“I saw a picture of Palawan. I forgot the specific name of the beach in the picture but I saw it… and somehow, it just made sense for me to go.”

Raquel thought back to the night in her bedroom back in Madrid. If not for that one picture, she would be in Lisbon now, maybe enjoying breakfast outside of a café. It was almost mind-boggling that just one picture made all the difference. Her gaze drifted to empty plates in front of her, to the busy street just below the restaurant, and finally to the man across the table in front of her. She watched as Sergio pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with his thumb and deep inside, Raquel is found herself somewhat thankful that what was decided can be undecided.

*****  
  
  


Sergio dropped her off just outside the hotel lobby. She handed off her helmet to Sergio. She said her thanks again and he repeated his point earlier that day that he was just happy to help. They part ways after saying that they’ll see each other around. Raquel watched Sergio drive away to where he kept his motorcycle until he disappeared from view.

She went straight to her hotel room. It was already late in the afternoon and with the heat already starting to calm down, Raquel decided that it was the perfect time to get back to the swimming she planned to do that morning.

Raquel opened the drawer in the dresser where she’d transferred all the swimwear she brought with her for the entirety of the trip. From her choices, she picked the navy blue one-piece and laid on her bed.

She remembered that one day a month ago that she drove herself to the mall so she could buy everything that she needed for the trip. Finding herself a few swimsuits were the last item she had on her list before she went home. It turned out to be the second most difficult thing that she had to go through to prepare for the trip, just behind deciding to go on the trip in the first place.

It was a challenge in itself to find a swimsuit that she liked. Reminding herself that she was already free to make that with that choice without getting slapped by the man who did just that when she decided to wear a skirt to work was a different challenge on its own.

As said by her therapist, it was one of the many things she had to learn moving forward.

 _It wasn’t your fault, Raquel_. Those were her words. Raquel remembered them clearly. Her therapist repeated them across their different meetings. Nowadays, it was hers to repeat herself.

She still relied on those words every now and then, much less so when she started her sessions. She had the words in the back of her mind when she was browsing through the racks of swimsuits in all the different styles and colors that she could imagine. The words were still there when she eventually found pieces that she liked and tried them on.

She gave the swimsuit on her bed a last once-over before going to the bathroom to change into it. She studied her reflection in the mirror while fixed her hair into a ponytail and simply appreciated how the one-piece fit her perfectly and how the color complemented her skin. She still reminded herself from time to time that there no one was going to raise a hand against her over what she wore but every single day is a step closer for her to fully claim that fact.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it ❤


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope everyone's keeping themselves busy and healthy 😊

**Day 3**

Sergio would just be as happy to help if it was anybody else.

It was partly his responsibility as the owner of the hotel, to help the guests meet their needs during their stay. If another guest would’ve come to him and asked if he knew a place where they could get their phone fixed, he would gladly take them to where Silene had hers repaired during their last visit.

It was only a matter of coincidence that the guest was Raquel.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought back to reality, standing in the middle of the hotel’s art gallery early in the morning.

“Sorry. My mind just…” He can’t believe that he let himself be distracted.

Señor Torres chuckled softly. Their general manager has always been patient with him and Andres, especially in the early days when they just got the hotel.

“No need to apologize. I was just asking if the framer that would be working on the paintings will be coming in today.”

“He is. I went to town yesterday to finalize everything. He said he’s coming here in the afternoon to get the paintings measured.”

“Will he be needing any assistance?”

“Have one or two members of the maintenance staff come up to the gallery. He might need help with moving some of the paintings especially the big ones.”

“Will do,” said Señor Torres before he excused himself and left, leaving Sergio alone in the company of the numerous paintings displayed on the wall.

It was one of Andres’s first projects when they acquired the hotel: transforming what was once a function hall into an art gallery. The hotel was already decorated with a considerable amount of paintings back then, with some pieces commissioned by the previous owners like oil painting of the hotel’s façade in front of him, and Andres just fell in love with the art that he decided that the hotel needed a space where the art can be showcased in their full glory for the guests to come and appreciate them. Over the years, what started with a handful of paintings from artists from different parts of Palawan, grew to even include the works of some of Andres’s painters from Spain and even some of his own work.

Andres has always been a dedicated supporter of the arts and an artist himself. It was when he started setting up the gallery did La Casa en La Playa started to feel like it was _theirs_. For Sergio, making sure that his brother’s love for the arts lived on was the least he could do to honor his memory.

*****

Raquel knew that adjusting to the time difference would be a challenge before even coming to the Philippines. She spent the rest of the might yesterday surfing through TV channels until sleep finally came to her at three in the morning. She set her alarm for 9 in the morning and she’s lucky to finally be awake just before 10. Of course, she hit ‘snooze’ on her phone for more times than she could remember.

Now that she’d didn’t have to worry about her phone after waking up, it was starting to feel more and more like she was on a vacation.

It still felt strange a little strange somehow, to be purposefully relaxing and just letting herself be. Back when she was working, her day-offs were few and she’d spent most of them just catching up on sleep after working on a case for days in a row. Even on those rare days, relaxing was difficult before the divorce. It was just hard to find rest in a home you shared with a man who’s a constant threat to your own safety.

Things have started to change since Raquel moved to her mother’s house and she’s been trying to invest more time in taking care of herself and rediscovering things she liked doing in the three months since she quit her job. She’s still getting used to it, but taking her first vacation in years was her way of keeping herself in the right direction. Perhaps a little extreme, but Raquel found it easy to find some comfort in knowing that she was literally oceans away from everyone that hurt her in the past.

After taking her shower, Raquel decided to skip breakfast and spend the rest of the morning on the beach. She wore a sleeveless shirt and a pair of loose-fitting shorts since she’d much rather sit and read while listening to the waves than swim in the heat.

She found a comfortable spot under the shade of the coconut tree. She looked up to check if there was any danger of a coconut falling on her head. After finding out that there were safety nets in place in all the trees around her, she laid down her beach towel and made herself comfortable.

Raquel just reading her fourth chapter of the book when she realized that she was being watched.

It took her a matter of seconds to find the _culprit_ standing a few feet away from her. He titled his head to one side and waved at Raquel. Raquel found herself giving a little wave back.

She was just about to return to the page where she left off when the culprit started to run in her direction, _squealing_.

“ _Liam! What did I tell you about taking off like that?_ ” A woman quickly swooped in and took the toddler in her arms. The boy only giggled in response, completely oblivious to her mother’s annoyance.

“ _I hope he didn’t disturb you or anything._ ” The woman gave her an apologetic look and Raquel could only assume that she’s the boy’s mother. Raquel shook her head and the woman apologized once more before walking back with her son to a group of kids building a sandcastle. The scene reminded her of a dream she once had, once she chose to, or was forced to, give up.

Once upon a time, Raquel would’ve loved to be a mother.

Early in her career, she told herself that she needed to wait until she was in a stable position, one where she wasn’t at the beck and call of everyone at the station she was working at back then. The promotion came, and she got married, then she got promoted again. The perfect time in her mind to start a family came but it was then her husband revealed himself as a monster rather than a father. Raquel couldn’t live with the guilt of raising a child in a home like that.

Every so often she’d dream about a girl with eyes and a smile just like hers – her daughter. She spoke about those dreams sometimes during therapy and her therapist helped her make sense of what she already knew and offer her reassurance. She rarely had those dreams nowadays, and she could only think that it was because she was starting to come to terms with being divorced and in her late thirties.

She closed her book as she just lost the interest to continue reading. What started as a brief encounter with other guests at the hotel brought back a feeling that she doesn’t remember feeling for months.

******

Since it was already starting to get hot, Raquel headed back inside for brunch. She sat at the same table she did when she came to dinner at the restaurant at the hotel and ordered chicken _adobo_ with rice and a glass of iced tea, fulfilling the promise she made to herself about trying their Filipino dishes the next time she ate there.

He was just supposed to check the situation with the lunchtime crowd. He was considering the possibility of expanding the restaurant with Señor Torres for weeks, maybe starting with adding a few more tables, to accommodate the increasing number of people who were coming to the hotel just to dine in. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect to see Raquel. Sergio just didn’t expect to see her at his usual table.

He already decided against stopping by his, or at that moment, _her_ table just to say hello but it seemed that his feet had a mind of their own. Just as his mind screamed at him to turn back, Raquel’s eyes met his.

“Hi,” said Raquel.

“Hello,” he greeted back. It was just yesterday that they were in a similar situation just outside the hotel.

“Are you here for lunch too?”

He had left-overs from the dinner he took home from the restaurant waiting for him in the fridge at the house but he just found himself saying yes.

Raquel looked around the restaurant. All the seats were almost taken. “I already started,” She pointed at her plate, “but you can join me if you like?”

“Are you sure?” Sergio took the last few steps he needed the be right next to the seat opposite of Raquel and Raquel nodded in response.

Raquel sipped on her iced tea while waiting for Sergio to finish ordering.

“I hope you’re not judging me,” said Sergio referring to his choice of jámon and two slices of toast with sautéed tomatoes on the side for lunch.

“I’m in no position to judge, believe me.” Raquel put down her glass. “I ordered paella the first time on my first night here.”

“That’s a good choice actually. I like their paella here.”

“I liked it too. Made me miss mamá’s. But I said to myself the next time I come here, I should be trying the Filipino dishes. Half the fun of going on a vacation is tasting the local cuisine, right?”

“It really is. So how’s the adobo?”

“I was expecting it to be spicy.” Raquel scrunched her nose and something he can’t put a name on just flickered Sergio’s chest. “But I like garlicky food so it kind of balances it out.”

“I see,” he managed to mutter as first. “But I also discovered that the taste of adobo really depends on the person who’s cooking. It’s like everyone has their own personal recipe. We made it a few times back at home and it’s different each time depending on who’s cooking.”

Agata liked her adobo with a lot of heat and Yashin much preferred cooking the recipe with pork. Sergio terribly wanted to forget the time Ricardo was on kitchen duty and decided to try cooking adobo all by herself.

For some reason, he ended up adding sugar instead of salt. Thankfully it was the first and the last time they ate adobo that was sweet.

“Do you cook Filipino food a lot back in Spain?” asked Raquel, remembering that his family has been visiting the Palawan for so long. She couldn’t help but be curious as to why they keep on coming back. Is it the sights? The food? Or the people?

“Only those with ingredients that are easy to find. Remember the banana cue we ate yesterday? I tried to make them with the bananas I found at the supermarket but they just weren’t the same.”

The waiter arrived with Sergio’s food and the two shared their meal in relative silence.

Sergio wiped at his lips with a napkin before speaking. “I have something to tell you: I always sit at this table when I come here to eat.”

“This exact table?” Raquel gave him an incredulous look.

“Yes.”

“Is that why you came here earlier?”

“Well no… but…”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sit at your table.” Raquel frowned. “Don’t worry. I’d sit someplace else next–“

“That’s not what I was trying to say,” Sergio interrupted. “I was just surprised to see you here.” Maybe it was the time he’s been coming in to eat, but Sergio could remember a few times that he had to sit somewhere else.

“I didn’t mean to steal your spot.”

“I really don’t mind,” Sergio reassured her before he continued eating again.

Raquel asked for their bill after they’ve finished eating. A waiter came up to their table with a single check folder and handed it to Raquel.

“ _My bill too, please_ ,” said Sergio, and the waiter gave him a confused look.

“ _My bill?_ ” He repeated. Sergio glanced at the waiter’s nameplate. He was definitely one of the new hires. Raquel just finished putting her payment for her meal and was listening to the exchange between the two.

“ _Sir–_ “

Before she could continue, a waitress arrived at their table carrying another check folder. “ _Your bill, sir._ ”

Sergio took the folder and said his thanks. Sergio recognized him as one of the more senior members of the waitstaff. When he left with the waitress, Sergio could only hope that she would be properly oriented _again_ on the hotel’s policy that he is to be treated just like the guests especially if he’s joined by someone who’s not part of the family. He looked at Raquel from across the table to see if she suspected anything and he’s resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief to find her watching the sea from the window, with her chin resting on her hand.

“Do… do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?”

“I’m going for a swim later when it’s not too hot anymore,” said Raquel as she turned to face him again, “I don’t have anything to do in the meantime.”

Sergio checked his watch before asking: “Have you checked out the gallery upstairs?”

“Actually, I was planning on going yesterday but I guess it slipped my mind.”

“Do you want to check it out?”

*****

Raquel was in awe when they passed through the gallery entrance. She expected a small collection from the photos she saw from the hotel’s website. Maybe the website was in need of an update since it felt like she walked into a private museum. Her eyes scoped the room, looking at the various paintings of different sizes that occupied the walls.

“Have you been here before?” She asked Sergio while her eyes remained on a painting of the Virgin Mary.

“I have,” Sergio answered with a little hesitation. “But I overheard from the staff that new pieces came in recently and I wanted to take a look.”

He knew that it was a terrible excuse. He’d already seen the new paintings when he came in that morning.

They walked around in a leisurely pace. Raquel found it to be particularly interesting that the paintings of the scenery in Palawan were mixed with those of the scenery from different places in Spain, which highlighted how different the places were visually.

One particular painting caught Raquel’s attention. One of a woman, with dark hair, and it looked like she was sitting in the garden judging from the flowers of different colors blooming right behind her.

She read the painting’s placard. Andres de Fonollosa. _Mamá en el jardín_ , 2014. Maybe it was a painting of the artist’s mother in her youth. By the way the woman was smiling, Raquel felt like she was looking at a photograph.

The more Raquel studied the feeling that her face was somehow _familiar_.

“Sergio, come look at this painting here.”

Sergio removed his eyes from one of Andres’s work and his heart started being faster. Just by seeing where she was standing a few feet away from him, Sergio knew exactly what painting she wanted him to see. He still approached her, as calmly as he could. Raquel faced the portrait of a woman again when Sergio stopped next to her and Raquel’s eyes shifted from painting on the wall and Sergio’s face.

“Don’t you think you look alike?” Raquel made no effort to mask the amusement in her voice.

Sergio faced the portrait of none other than Ines Marquina. He gazed at his mother’s face. They found the photo it was based on in a box full of his father’s belongings in the attic of their house in Toledo. Andres said that he remembered papá taking the photo in the garden of their house in San Sebastian. It was already started to fade but the way Andres painted in color gave the image a new life. He heard people say that to him before but he found it hard to tell. His mother passed away a few years after the photo was taken and Sergio was only three. He only knew his mother’s face from the photos.

“You really think so?” Sergio asked honestly. Raquel nodded while studying his facial features. Her eyes traced a path from Sergio’s eyes, to the tip of his nose, down to his mouth.

She quickly averted her eyes when she caught herself looking at his lips longer than intended.

“How about now?” Sergio reached out to his face and carefully removed his glasses.

Raquel was rendered speechless for a moment. It seemed like she watched him transform into a whole new person right before her eyes. Sergio gulped nervously, still coming up with a reason to justify what he just did other than humoring Raquel even further.

Raquel studied Sergio’s face again, putting more attention on his eyes. Maybe she underestimated the power of eyeglasses to transform someone’s appearance and that’s her speaking as a former police officer. Raquel looked at the face of the woman once more but she was already convinced.

However, a new thought came into her mind. With or without the glasses, she can’t help but consider that he looked great either way.

It took them a half hour to go through all the paintings in the gallery. They both found it to be a refreshing way to spend their time. It’s been a long time since Raquel experienced art the same and Sergio admitted to himself that he might have seen the paintings so many times but it was a different experience, going through each one of them with someone else.

More importantly, in a space surrounded by works of art that his brother loved so much, he would much rather have his eyes on Raquel instead.

That was the moment that Sergio realized that he was completely and utterly _fucked_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope reading this fic is keeping you guys entertained while the world is in a very, very weird place right now. As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Popping over to give you this chapter before I disappear for a bit because of university hehe I would like to thank everyone for your comments, reading them really do cheer me and help me through the stress and sadness from having to complete the rest of my degree from home 😭
> 
> I present to you a spoiler for this chapter in meme format:
> 
> nobody:   
> literally nobody:
> 
> silene: 🤪
> 
> I really liked writing this chapter (I think you'll find out why) I debated with myself with splitting it into two parts since it was getting quite long but I ended up with keeping it as one 
> 
> Stay safe and enjoy!

  
  
_I could get used to this_. Raquel said to herself. She just got out of the water and was sitting on one of the plastic lounge chairs the hotel had on the beach with her towel wrapped around her shoulders. For the past three days, she's been coming there, starting from the time the heat of the afternoon sun started to wane. She was starting to see it as a regular part of her day for the remainder of her stay.  
  
A few feet to her right, two kids were digging small holes in the sand and were watching them fill up as the water came to shore. From where she was sitting, Raquel could hear the music coming from the bar playing over the sound of the waves and the distant voices coming from the different conversations that were happening all around her at once.  
  
Raquel never thought that she could even feel more rested in the last three months she spent mostly at home since she quit her job and there she was sitting on a beach in Palawan, with saltwater still in her hair, feeling well-rested more rested than ever.  
  
She closed her eyes as a gentle breeze blew over while breathing in the scent of salt in the air. She felt great. For a second, Raquel entertained the idea that if only she could hear what's going on deep inside her, maybe she could hear the rhythm of all the pieces that came apart in the last few years steadily weaving back together.  
  
Back in her hotel room, Raquel called her mother immediately after taking a bath and putting on a fresh pair of clothes. With her phone pressed against her ear, she leaned further into the pillows of her bed, making herself comfortable.  
  
Raquel’s been sending her short messages and some photos here and there since she hasn’t taken that many. She’s trying to limit the phone calls every other day at most. Raquel couldn’t stop herself from worrying, being so far away from home, even if her aunt was keeping her company until she was back in Spain. Marivi, on the other hand, already expressed what she wanted even before Raquel left for the Philippines.  
  
 _Please, mija. Stop worrying about your old mother and enjoy your vacation!_  
  
It wasn’t the easiest task. Marivi was also always quick to dismiss her daughter’s worries and Raquel was already familiar with the ways that Marivi would not so subtly steer the conversation before Raquel could even start stressing about her well-being.  
  
Raquel was about to ask if she wasn’t forgetting to drink her vitamins in the morning when her mother started to question her about the photo she sent her last night.  
  
“The ‘friend’ who took your photo, is he a man?”  
  
Raquel rolled her eyes. Marivi took her daughter’s silence as a yes. “This gentleman must be really handsome then judging by the way you smiled for the picture.”  
  
“Mamá,” Raquel scoffed. Her mother was unbelievable sometimes.  
  
“Why? Am I wrong?” Marivi quipped. Raquel chose to keep her lips sealed again refusing to fall even further into her mother’s old tactics. However, she’s known the answer to since the time he’d let her borrow her phone. She was becoming increasingly aware of it each day since then.  
  
Needless to say, it was a fact that was starting to alarm her.  
  
“Raquel, I already told you before to not close any doors.”  
  
Marivi said in a teasing tone and it amazed Raquel that somehow even if she was 7,000 miles away that her mother always knew what to say.  
  
Yet, Raquel knew that it wasn’t the time and place for such a thing. In the year since her divorce was finalized, she hasn’t looked for anything except for the rare one-off nights with men that she’s simply relieved to never see again. She wasn’t planning on looking for something in the week and a half that she still had in Palawan.  
  
She’s not proud of it, but Raquel resulted in giving her mother a taste of her own medicine.  
  
“What are you and tía cooking for lunch today?”  
  
“Ah, we haven't decided yet. We're going to go to the market later to see what ingredients we can find. How about you? What time is it there? Did you eat already?”  
  
Raquel was relieved to answer her questions one by one.  
  
Her hair was almost completely dry when she got off the call. She opened the photo that her mother asked about from the camera roll of her phone. There she was, smiling the middle of the gallery surrounded by the owner’s impressive art collection. Sergio offered to take the picture before they left.  
  
“Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a photo with you in it?” She remembered him saying as she was done taking a photo of a painting of a church that she wanted to show her mother since it reminded her of the one they frequented as a family back when they were living in Bilbao.  
  
She’s extremely grateful since the photo turned out better than all the pictures she’s tried to take of herself using the front camera on her phone. Many of which she deleted without a second thought. How was she supposed to know that taking pictures of herself was going to be that big of a challenge?  
  
Raquel tapped on her face in the photo twice to have a closer inspection and to prove her mother wrong. She still believed that her smile wasn’t any different. It’s the slight color in her cheeks that made her turn off her screen with a slight huff.  
  
  


  
  
*****  
  
  


  
  
  
Palawan, Philippines  
Seven years ago.  
  
  
  
The flight from Madrid to Manila took them twenty hours, including the layover in Abu Dhabi. They spent a night at a hotel in the city before their flight to Puerto Princesa the next morning.  
  
It was in the last two hours of the seven-hour van ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido did Sergio feel their resolve breaking. He observed the rest of his family from the rear-view mirror. Silene was starting to petty fights with everyone and Andres being Andres, decided that engaging with their sister’s behavior was a good idea. Yashin, Ricardo, and Agata were doing much better in terms of handling their boredom but not too much. At that point, Sergio was thankful that he got to the passenger seat before anyone else.  
  
He’s taken the same trip with Andres six months prior when they surveyed the property together and stayed in the hotel for three days. He didn’t think that it will be twice as draining now that they’re bringing four more people.  
  
Sergio was the last to step out of the van. He walked over to the other side where the rest of the family were already standing outside the hotel lobby. The expression on Ricardo, Agata, Silene, and Yashin’s was difficult to describe. Wonder. Excitement. Curiosity. He shared a look with Andres who was standing behind the four.  
  
Sergio and Andres waited for their reaction. They’ve shown them the pictures but speaking from his own experience, Sergio can say that being in Palawan and seeing the place with his own eyes was entirely a different moment of its own.  
  
Ricardo opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to come up with the words to say.  
  
“I-is this really ours?” Sergio didn’t expect Yashin to speak out first. Beside him, Andres nodded silently with his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
“Holy shit,” Silene mumbled loudly and before Sergio could say something about her choice of words, Agata and Ricardo’s excited laughter filled his ears and the two wrapped him and Andres up in a hug, with Yashin and Silene immediately joining in.  
  
Thinking that they could run a hotel is still the craziest idea Andres has ever had.  
  
Andres might have presented a few good reasons why it might work out. The price of the hotel and the villa that came along with it was a bargain. The hotel was already under a management company and the sale wouldn’t terminate the contract so the hotel could still function day-to-day on its own.  
  
Sergio is still convinced that it’s the riskiest investment that he’ll ever make in his life. Managing the cidery in Toledo was hard enough, how much more was it going to take to do the same for a hotel on the other side of the world? At the end of the day, despite his common sense telling him that he should back out and wait for Andres to eventually change his mind, he agreed to buy the hotel because it was going to make Andres happy.  
  
It was only then when he’s wrapped in the loudest embrace he could ever imagine, did Sergio consider that maybe everything would work out in their favor.  
  
Otherwise, the £200,000 he shelled out from his own savings be damned.  
  
  
  
  
  


  
*****  
  


  
  


Sergio stared blankly at his laptop screen. He’s checked the numbers and even the placement of the commas. Every single item of the hotel’s expenses has been accounted for. He didn’t find a single mistake in the report, as he did the last two times that he checked.

Next to his laptop, his phone lit up and the notification tone pinged twice.

  
Silene  
2 new messages  
  
Heyyyy 🤪  
Are u busy? Can we call u on facetime right now?  
  
  
Sergio quickly typed a reply. "Go ahead." He busied himself with work and a new book in the morning but since lunch, the only thing that's keeping his thoughts away from a certain guest in the hotel was waiting for them to call.  
  
Silene with Cincinnati sitting on her lap, calling from the dining room in Toledo, appeared on his screen soon after.  
  
"Cinci say hi," said Silene while guiding Cincinnati's arm into a wave. Sergio waved back, making Cincinnati giggle before softly saying hi to Sergio.  
  
"Where are the others?" Sergio asked Silene.  
  
"Clearing up the table. We just finished breakfast." Yashin passed behind Silene carrying mugs in both hands.  
  
"And why aren't you helping?"  
  
"I'm babysitting. Can’t you see?" Silene replied before putting the phone extremely close to Cincinnati's face making him giggle again.  
  
"I'm reminding Ricardo that he shouldn't be letting you spend too much time alone with Cinci."  
  
Silene put her phone back to where she positioned it on the dining table. "Why is that?"  
  
"You're a bad influence," said Sergio matter-of-factly and Silene feigned being scandalized.

“That’s not true at all. Besides, I’m already Cinci’s favorite.” Silene bounced Cincinnati on her lap.

“If Cinci does have a favorite, it’s me.” Yashin pulled out a chair right next to Silene and sat down. “How are you, _profesor_?”

“I'm well.”

“Are you at the hotel?”

“I am.”

Silene groaned. “You better not be spending all your time in Palawan working inside your hotel room.”

“I don’t.” He replied to quickly for someone who was supposed to be telling the truth which made Silene snicker.

“You liar.”

Sergio turned to Yashin again. “How are you?”

“I’m alright except I’m still in a bit of pain because of the new tattoo I got.”

“What? Where is it? When did you get it?”

“Calm down.” Yashin chuckled. “We might have had a few drinks the other day.” He shared a conspiring look with Silene before he continued. “And to answer the what and the where… you have to find out when you get home.”

Sergio swallowed. “How are things at the cidery? I hope that the deliveries are going well?”

As Yashin was about to speak, Agata walked behind him and Silene with her hands on her hips.

“Ay, ay, ay! Didn’t I say that we’re not going to talk about work at all today?”

Yashin held up his hands in mock surrender. “I was going to say that.”

Sergio heard Ricardo laugh in the background before the man himself appeared on screen followed by Monica.

“That’s more like it,” said Agata as she looked at their faces on screen. “Anibal’s at his parents but as promised, here we are.”

As it was when he was back at home, their calls were the same: it was them who did most of the talking, and Sergio would be sitting back, listening attentively.

There were many missteps regarding the rule that Agata had set to facilitate the conversation, and she herself was guilty of breaking her own rule a few times. It was a difficult rule to follow since their life at work very much involved their life at home too.

Time like these, it was easy for Sergio to forget that he hasn’t been home for months. If only it wasn’t obvious that Cinci hasn’t grown so much since he last saw him in person.

“Do you have any plans for your birthday next week?” Agata asked as they were about to say good-bye.

“For what?” It was as if Sergio didn’t register what she said properly.

“Your birthday, Sergio. It’s next week.”

Sergio attempted to peek at the date on his phone. He swiped up in the middle of the screen and jus as Agata said, he was indeed turning 40 in five days.

He really had no idea. However, he sure wasn’t going to confess to that.

“I don’t know… I didn’t plan anything yet.”

“Don’t tell us you forgot,” Ricardo chided.

“I didn’t. It just slipped my mind today because I’ve been busy.”

“Come home. Spend your birthday here with us.”

Silene’s suggestion took him by surprise and Sergio saw how their disappointment grew with every passing second that he didn’t say anything, silently considering what to say.

“Fine,” Silene said defeatedly and Sergio watched as her face fell. “I think I’ll still throw a party in your honor. Just because you don’t want to spend your day with us doesn’t mean we don’t get to have some fun.” She said with a shrug before meeting Agata’s eyes over her shoulder.

*****

With the lack of anything better to do, Raquel decided to venture out into the town again to do a little exploring in the night market. This time, she went to the front desk and asked if they could get her a ride.

Raquel began walking from where the tricycle driver dropped her off outside town. There was something that smelled delicious around every corner from shawarma to street food that came on bamboo sticks that she can’t even begin to describe. Raquel noticed that the place was even busier than it was during the day with tourists finding a place to eat or drink or do both and the night stalls where they sold mostly clothes, food, and souvenirs. There was music all around too, with live bands playing from cafes, people singing loudly from karaoke machines to bars blasting pop music from their massive stereo systems.

It was a lot to take in at first. It was a bit hot and humid and sometimes it was impossible to walk without bumping into anyone every five seconds.

Walking around became more and more enjoyable as she became more in tune with how the people were moving around her. She still planned to shop for souvenirs towards the end of her trip but she made a mental note to get one of the many home décor items made from shells for her mother’s house.

In the end, she bought a bag each of banana chips and cashew nuts to snack on at the hotel and her curiosity had her trying _isaw_ at a street stall. Chicken intestines coiled on a stick before being grilled wasn’t the most appealing thing she’s ever seen and the chewiness threw her off at first. Other than that, it turned out to be a surprisingly tasty snack.

Raquel was thinking about going back to the hotel after eating but the heat combined with the _isaw_ she ate had her craving for a cold bottle of beer. There wasn’t a shortage of establishments that were selling alcohol so she went with the nearest to her at the time.

The way that the off-key singing she was hearing from the street got louder only confirmed that it was indeed a karaoke bar of all places. Raquel ordered a bottle of one of the local beers from the bar and sat on one of the only free tables not so far from the stage where a man who’s clearly intoxicated was singing his heart out to _Dancing Queen_.

She resisted the urge to laugh every time the urge came up with a drink of beer. She still found herself singing along from time to time and even swaying in her seat like the rest of the people who were watching from their seats.

“ _Who wants to go next?_ ” A waitress called out as the man’s companions helped him off the stage.

Raquel downed the rest of her beer in one go before standing up.

It only took Sergio a drop of self-awareness to realize that he’s been looking for something to drink after talking with his family lately.

He isn’t much of a drinker but he knew that it’s going to be a problem if he’d be staying in Palawan even longer. Being aware of it didn’t stop him from craving an ice-cold beer though. His first thought was to head to the bar at the beach but the chance that he’d run into Raquel made him reconsider.

He would never admit it but it’s the mix of guilt and the fact that he missed his family dearly that made him go to one of their local haunts in town.

Sergio wasn’t surprised to arrive to a full house. It was a Saturday, their drinks were cheap, and he might not be one of them but people love to indulge in the many joys of karaoke as a rule.

He waited for the bartender to bring his beer over at the bar. The woman at the karaoke was impressively good. Whitney Houston might be a popular choice, but she’s was out there doing the song some justice, hitting the notes flawlessly with every line.

Only when he finally turned around to face the stage with his beer in hand, did Sergio realize that the woman she was listening to was the same woman he’s been trying to keep his mind off for the entire day.

Raquel licked her lips and tightened the hold on the microphone. What she was about to do only fully sunk in when she heard the synths in song started playing.

“ _The clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade…_ ” She began to sing and her hand began to tremble slightly. Raquel focused on the lyrics on the screen in the fear of seeing the disapproving looks from the people on their seats.

It all changed when the chorus began and the crowd began singing in chorus.

Raquel can’t help but smile. It’s been a long time since she last sang. She never pictured that she’ll be coming back to it singing karaoke in front of strangers in a bar in Palawan.

Yet, it filled her with so much joy. She started moving to the song too. It was irresistible, with the atmosphere in the bar and all. 

Raquel had a fleeting glance at the back of the bar and she almost missed the first line of the second verse because she did a double-take.

“ _I've been in love and lost my senses spinning through the town…_ ”

She could tell that it was him from the dark hair, the glasses, and the short-sleeved button-down shirt. Her eyes alternated from reading the lyrics and watching him move from the entrance to the bar. A part of her hoped that she could finish the song without him noticing.

Raquel risked another look at Sergio’s direction as she began with the second chorus and seeing him smiling at her from where he’s standing made her instantly smile back. Raquel watched as Sergio moved his head to the beat and mouthed the lyrics. She felt warm all over and it’s not just because of the beer she had or the excitement of being able to sing in front of people again.

******

They ended up with a table for two in the middle of the bar, both on their second bottle of beer for the night.

“When I said ‘see you around’ I didn’t expect to run to your every day.”

“Me neither,” Raquel chuckled before taking a sip of beer.

“You have a really wonderful voice,” he said with a smile.

Raquel’s eyes widened. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“Do you sing often?”

“It’s been a long time. I used to sing in a band when I was in college.”

“What kind of songs do you sing?”

“We used to do all kinds of songs but mostly rock.”

“Really? So is that the time you got the…” Sergio pointed at the same spot on his nose where Raquel has hers pierced.

“Yup.” Raquel tapped on the piercing with her index finger. “It actually made mamá cry.”

The memory is entertaining to come back to now. Raquel might’ve stuck with her decision but the disappointment in her mother’s eyes back then absolutely broke her heart.

“I could imagine. My sister pierced her belly button and papa was so angry that he took away her motorbike until she had it taken out.”

“And what did your mamá say?”

“Mamá already passed on when my sister came into the family,” explained Sergio.

“She’s adopted?” Raquel clarified and Sergio nodded.

“Is it just the three of you? You and your brother and your sister?”

“Not at all. It was only me and my brother for a long time then my four younger siblings came to the family.”

“Was it hard, growing up with so many siblings?”

“It sure was,” Sergio remembered so many fights between all of them. He might keep himself out of it most times but Andres sure didn’t. “How about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“I have a sister who’s younger.”

“Are the two of you close?”

“We were. My sister was an angel, growing up” Raquel took a deep breath. The fondness she’ll always have for her sister still weighed her down sometimes considering everything that happened between the two of them. “But things are complicated between us right now. We haven’t talked in more than a year.”

“I’m sorry.”

Raquel replied with a shrug.

In the background, a woman was singing a Madonna song that Sergio doesn’t know the title of. She was good, but Raquel was amazing earlier.

Raquel pointed to the stage with her beer bottle. “If you were on that stage right now, what would song would you sing?”

“I... I don’t sing.”

“What brings you here then?” She gave him a confused look. “Are you following me?” Raquel’s deadpan delivery convinced Sergio that she was being serious.

Sergio shook his head vigorously in response. “N- Not at all.”

“I was just messing with you.” Raquel bit her lip as Sergio adjusted his glasses on his face.

“It’s the first place I thought about. The drinks are pretty cheap too.”

“So you’ve been before?”

“My family dragged me to this place so many times before.”

“And you’re telling me that you never stepped on that stage even once?”

“Never.”

Raquel snorted. “Your family must really love you for that, don’t they?” Her voice dripping in sarcasm. “Come on. What kind of music do you like? There must be something you can sing to.”

“I don’t think so. I only listen to classical music most of the time.”

Raquel let out a hearty laugh. “Well… I don’t think it’s possible to sing to Clair de Lune.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know the words to _Dance with Somebody_ ,” Raquel remembered him mouthing the words to the song while she sang. “So I don’t think you’re a classical music purist as you say you are.”

“Fine. My family loves pop music a lot and Andres, my older brother, really loved the 80s, so I dabble with it ever now and then,” Sergio chided with a laugh, and Raquel vaguely remembered having heard the name recently. “I kind of like The Beatles too. Classical music just stuck with me I guess since I play the piano since I was little.”

Raquel’s eyes flickered briefly to his hand around his beer bottle. She stopped herself before she could think of anything else.

“Tell me about you.”

Once the words were out of his mouth, Sergio immediately realized that perhaps there were better ways to say what he meant.

“What about me?” Raquel raised her eyebrows but felt her heart beat a little faster.

“Anything you want. It’s just that… if we’re going to run to each other more often than we already do… It’s good that we get to know more about each other, right?”

Raquel cursed internally, feeling the blush creeping up to her neck. Raquel only wished that Sergio won’t notice under the dim lighting. She took a swig of beer to calm herself down before saying, “Why don’t you start?”

They ordered another bottle of beer each.

Sergio started by telling her that one of his hobbies is origami and Raquel admits that she didn’t even learn how to fold something as simple as a paperboat. He tried to teach her then and there with the receipt for the beer she had before he arrived. She didn’t absorb a single thing because she was busy watching how his hands moved as he worked. 

It doesn’t surprise her that he has an MBA, but it’s impressive nonetheless, considering he studied business and philosophy for his undergraduate degree and that he graduated a year early. He didn’t mention it, but Raquel could guess that he graduated with the highest honors too.

Raquel told him about how she wanted to be a teacher as she was growing up and she studied psychology while she was at university with the plan of joining academia after. She fell out of love with the idea the longer she stayed at the university. She passed the public exam and trained to be part of the National Police immediately after graduating.

After their second bottle, they got themselves another round. Sergio recommended that they get deep-fried pork rinds called _chicharon_ as a snack and Raquel agreed.

There were the in-betweens. The messy football games his family sometimes have in their backyard in Toledo. Learning from her mother the dishes from her childhood back in Bilbao. Their favorite books.

Raquel told him that she’s thinking about the possibility of teaching since she left her position at the police. A faculty at a small college in Madrid already approached her before she left and she’s positively considering the offer. Sergio jokingly called her _profesora_ and Raquel admitted that she really liked the way it sounded.

He might have two left feet, but when Raquel mentioned that just like singing, she’d like to go back to dancing, something that she’d given up after high school, Sergio thought of all the places in El Nido he could take her dancing.

The night was still in full swing when they left the bar at midnight. Raquel asked if they could sing _Hey Jude_ together before they left as a joke but a part of her is convinced that he’s being serious when he answered with a “Maybe next time.”

They shared a tricycle back to the hotel. They’re both quiet during the ride, sitting shoulder to shoulder in the sidecar, with the exhaustion and the buzz from the beer they both had finally catching up to them. With the hum of the motorcycle filling the silence, Sergio and Raquel were free to reflect on the events of the night on their own.

Raquel doesn’t remember dozing off. Yet she woke up to Sergio gently tapping her on the shoulder. A member of the staff greeted them as they passed through the lobby and Raquel wondered if it was the sleepiness that had her imagining that the staff had greeted Sergio by his name while he had greeted her with ma’am.

She’s feeling much less groggy when they got to the elevator. Raquel sneaked a glance at her companion who kept his eyes on the elevator doors.

The fact that he’s a tall and handsome businessman on a holiday seemed like a big red warning sign. The media she consumed as a woman throughout the years told her than men like that spelled trouble which almost made her want to laugh.

Even with everything she learned about him tonight, she knew that there were still so many things that were left to uncover.

What was scaring her was how much she wanted to find out.

Her mind screamed at her to tread carefully. She’s made the mistake of marrying the wrong man once after all.

“Good night,” her voice almost came out as a whisper when the doors opened on the second floor.

“Good night. Sleep tight.” Sergio said back before quirking a smile. The only thing Raquel could think of how difficult and unfair the world was for allowing him to be as striking as he was under the elevator lights.

Against her better judgment, Raquel kissed Sergio’s cheek before leaving the elevator just as the doors were about to close again and it somehow felt like looking through a piece of herself that she thought she already boarded up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I listened to dance with somebody a lot while I wrote this chapter 😭 I borrowed a part of the last line from taylor swift because I just thought that it really fits well? 
> 
> Like I said in the first part there still some uni things I'd like to deal with as soon as possible so my best estimate for the next update will be in a week or so but I promise that I'll try to come back to working on this as soon as I can :')
> 
> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stepping away from uni work for a bit because I might just go crazy hehe but I do apologize in advance for Sergio and Raquel this chapter hehe 
> 
> Hope you enjoy ❤

**Day 5**

It wasn't easy waking up in the morning when it took Sergio almost all of his willpower to keep his thoughts about Raquel at the back of his mind just to get a wink of sleep. Yet there he was, staring at the ceiling, just like he did hours before, trying to rationalize what happened last night, or more specifically how the night ended in the elevator. 

There was no point in overthinking about this. He came back to the conclusion he arrived at before he eventually fell asleep. Raquel kissed him on the cheek. There was no question to be asked. No mystery to be solved.

As much as he tried to distance his thoughts away from the kiss and Raquel herself, that something that sparked after his surprise started to fade still bothered him.

He's not brave enough to call that thing hope. It takes even more bravery to admit that maybe he was hoping that a perfectly innocent gesture meant something that it probably doesn't.

Wherever he might be, Sergio knew that Andres must be enjoying seeing him like this over a woman he only knew for less than a week.

He sat up, throwing the blanket off of his body in the process, and went through the motions of taking a shower and brushing his teeth. Sergio looked at his reflection in the mirror and admitted to himself again he's already in so much trouble. He's aware of it since the other day at the gallery. He already knew that the best course of action was: keep his distance and wait for whatever it was that he's feeling to fade or at least until Raquel had to go back to Spain. 

Already knowing that, he shouldn't have stayed when he realized that it was her who was singing at the karaoke last night. He shouldn't have asked to sit at a table together when she got off the stage after her song ended or suggested the idea that they get more familiar with each other since they've been running to each other so frequently. 

He had to put an end to this for his sake. It might be for an entirely wrong reason, but going home to Toledo for his birthday and a short break seemed like a good idea after all.

*****

The sun was already high up in the sky. Raquel sat near the end of one of the pool loungers with a cup of decaf that's long gone cold. Her morning wasn't going great. She barely had any sleep and ended up waking up to a headache. She ended up ordering room service for breakfast again and it's partly because she doesn't know what to do if she saw Sergio at the restaurant. 

"Excuse me, is that seat taken?" A woman wearing a one-piece with a floral pattern that Raquel could only describe as loud pointed at the lounger under the same umbrella as Raquel's.

Despite the woman's fashion choice, Raquel couldn't be more grateful that her train of thought just got short. 

Raquel shook her head and the woman replied with a smile before sitting down. Raquel continued drinking her coffee. The caffeine was still doing its job even if the coffee's already lukewarm.

She wanted to simply blame the headache on the amount of alcohol she allowed herself to have last night. It was an easy way out that completely revoked the idea that the shame that she felt when she remembered what she did just before leaving the elevator had anything to do with it at all.

The memory of the look of shock in Sergio's face when she pulled away from kissing him on the cheek haunted her all morning. Even more so in the elevator on her way down. If she'd only apologized last night instead of walking out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened then her mind could be in a slightly better place than where it is now. 

Her coffee was getting less and less appetizing with every sip. Around her, the pool area was getting busier by the minute with guests preferring to soak in the sun by the poolside and swimming at the pool instead of the sea. Raquel wasn't interested in doing either. She just needed to get out of her room even if she was risking seeing Sergio again.

" _Max! Don't even think about jumping in the pool!_ "

She heard a woman shout from the boardwalk that connected the pool area to the hotel. A child whipped past Raquel, running, followed by a loud splash. 

Raquel heard the woman sitting on the lounger right next to her yelp in surprise but it took Raquel another second to realize that the parts of her pants and her shirt were just completely drenched. She placed her coffee cup on the patio table between the two lounge chairs. She had no doubt that her coffee was already tainted with pool water anyway. 

A commotion started in front of her with the mother scolding her son for what he just did and the lifeguard coming in to give the child a warning and to tell the woman to watch her child more closely next time. 

Raquel wiped the side of her face with the back of her hand and shook the water off of her arms. She was just about to call out to the staff member who was asking around the pool if anybody needed towels but they already headed back inside to get the towels before even doing so. 

Having no intention to sit around in her wet clothes for any longer, Raquel decided to just return to her room for a shower and a change of clothes. She kept her head down to avoid the stares she was bound to get for walking around in her current state.

She mentally prepared herself for passing through the guests in the lobby when a voice coming from in front of her asked: "Do you need a towel?"Raquel stopped immediately and looked up. Sergio was standing at the alcove that led to the lobby. 

Raquel nodded wordlessly. Sergio turned to the lobby saying, "Cindy, can you get me a towel please?" 

One of the hotel staff came to them shortly to hand Sergio a towel then promptly left after. 

"Here you go," he said giving the towel. Raquel took the towel with both hands while looking puzzled. 

"So how many of the staff are you on a first-name basis with?" Raquel briefly remembering the member of the night staff who greeted them when they came in the night before.

Raquel became more perplexed when a brief look of surprise passed over Sergio's face but was gone almost instantly. "I just know some of their names since I see them around a lot. What happened to you?"

"A kid ran into the pool and jumped in." Raquel wiped at the wet blotches on her shirt before wrapping the towel around her shoulders.

"Is the kid fine? The pool isn't that deep." 

"He's fine but he did make a big splash." Raquel motioned to her wet clothes. They moved to the side after realizing that they were blocking the way when a pair of guests excused themselves to pass through. 

A moment passed without anyone saying a word. Raquel unconsciously pulled the towel tighter around herself, while trying to come up with an apology for her actions the night before.

"Are you cold?" Sergio looked at her concerned. 

"A little bit but I'm fine." 

"You should get changed."

Sergio was about to excuse himself to leave when Raquel blurted out: "I'm sorry." 

"About what?" Raquel resisted the urge to sigh since the look on his face clearly told her that he knew what she was apologizing for. 

"About what I did in the elevator last night." Raquel took a deep breath and averted her gaze. "I had a drink or two at the bar and I know that being drunk isn't a good excuse for my actions and I usually keep myself in check around alcohol so I'm sorry for what I did especially because I overstepped my boundaries and I made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I hope this doesn't make things awkward between us and all—"

Raquel was cut short by the feeling of a hand on her arm. She took a moment to catch her breath before looking at Sergio again and his lips cracked into a smile. 

"You're rambling," he said simply.

"Sorry." Raquel laughed nervously. "For rambling and for acting the way I did." 

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"I really promise I won't kiss you again."

They both stood there shocked by her words for a moment until Sergio murmured "...Okay."

"That sounded weird. I'm so sorry." Raquel covered her lips with her fingertips in embarrassment.

"I... it's fine." 

"I'm really, really sorry," said Raquel with a sheepish smile and Sergio chuckled, low and soft.

"Raquel, please. It's alright." Sergio put the hand on her arm to her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

A light breeze came in, making Raquel shiver. "You should really get changed now. You could get sick." 

"See you around?" Raquel hoped that her recent behavior wouldn't make things awkward between the two of them. Without meaning to, he's been a part of her day since she got here and she genuinely enjoyed his company. She can't say that she won't be upset if her recent blunder would put an end to that. 

Sergio, on the other hand, considered telling her that he's going home and it just might be the last time that they saw each other."Of course," he replied instead giving himself a chance to still change his mind, but Raquel's heart sank hearing the hesitation in his voice. 

*****

  
Raquel doesn't sit at the same table at dinner. She felt that it's for the best that she give him the space, both literally and figuratively, just in case he came down to eat the same time she was there.

Sergio doesn't turn up. They've only met there once when they ate lunch the other day since she's usually dining in at unusual hours. She doesn't feel that disappointed or at least, she tried not to be. A part of her just wanted to know if they're still good because something about how they parted earlier wasn't sitting right with her.

In the middle of her meal, Raquel saw him pass by the archway that connected the restaurant with the rest of the hotel but he doesn't come in and Raquel thought that maybe, if she just didn't mention what happened in the elevator earlier and acted as if it never happened things would have turned out better for her. 

Raquel continued with the rest of her meal, fully accepting the fact that she really screwed up. 

He should be sleeping at the house tonight based on his schedule, but Sergio was in his room at the hotel, with a plate of _macarrones con chorizo_ courtesy of room service. He scrolled through flight listings between bites. 

He missed them of course, but he was currently experiencing one of the few joys of not having his family around to call him a hypocrite since he still lectured Agata and Silene from time to time for using their phones during mealtime. 

At least he was eating at a table and not on the bed.

He already informed Señor Torres that he was looking into spending his birthday in Toledo. Even if he didn't have anything to attend to in the week that he's staying at home, Sergio was still unsure of leaving the hotel behind even if Señor Torres strongly assured him that he'll make sure that the hotel will be more than alright like he always did. 

Then there was the growing guilt of coming home for the wrong reason. He'd love to spend his birthday with his family but wasn't he just running away from his problem here in the hotel? On top of that, after the last time, he's certain that they're not let him just come back to Palawan.

  
Sergio spotted a flight to Madrid leaving Manila at three in the afternoon. He's confident that he could get a flight from Lio Airport that would arrive at Manila at around noon but his thumb simply hovered on top of the screen, unable to press on the words 'Book flight.'

*****

  
"Who were you talking to?" Silene asked as she entered Agata's office followed by Ricardo.

Silene turned back from the window and placed her phone back into her pocket. "Señor Torres."

"I thought you already talked to him last Wednesday." Ricardo took a seat on the couch while Silene sat on one of the guest chairs by the door. Agata leaned against the side of her desk with her arms crossed in front of her chest. 

"He's the one who called and we might have a bit of a problem. Sergio's planning on coming home for his birthday."

"That's impossible," Silene piped up. "We all saw his face when I suggested the idea."

"I know. When he talked on Skype just a few days before he still had no plan to come home."

"Damn. Monica already filed a leave." Ricardo huffed. He was about to put his feet up on the couch but the glare Agata sent to his direction stopped him dead in his tracks. 

"Anibal too." Silene turned to Agata, annoyed. "Why on earth is he changing his mind all of a sudden?" 

"I don't know. Señor Torres said Sergio checked if their schedule's free for the week starting on Tuesday but he's still thinking about going." 

It suddenly felt absurd to Agata that they were getting upset at Sergio for doing what they'd asking him to do for the last three months but to their defense, he couldn't pick a worse time to come home, now that they've already put the time and the money to put their plan into action.

If he really was coming home, she was sure as hell that she's going to ask him to pay them back for their plane tickets.

"I don't think he's actually going to do it." Ricardo shrugged. "He's put his foot down for months about coming home and he's not the type to change his mind overnight."

Agata sighed and plopped down her office chair. "We'll just have to wait and see. I already told Señor Torres to tell me as soon as Sergio tells him if he's really coming home or not."

"Should we just ask him about it?"

"He's going to ask how we found about it. I don't think he's going to appreciate the fact that we've been asking Señor Torres to keep tabs on him behind his back."

Silene turned on her chair. "Did you say he's planning to leave Palawan on Tuesday? The same day we're leaving from Madrid?" 

"I guess so since he asked Señor Torres if they didn't have anything for this coming Tuesday until the next one." 

Ricardo burst out laughing. "That means he's arriving in Madrid on Wednesday, right? Imagine if he went home to Toledo just to find out that we're in Palawan waiting for him."

Silene chuckled. "Joke's on him then since we'll have the beach and he'll be celebrating his birthday alone in an empty house." 

"What brings the two of you here by the way?" Silene and Ricardo visibly perked up with Agata's question. 

"We're going out for lunch." Ricardo's overtly casual tone immediately made Agata suspicious. 

"Is that supposed to be an invitation or what?"

"It just might be. Our boss is feeling a bit generous today." Silene looked at her straight in the eye as she pulled out a credit card from the back pocket of her skirt and showed it off between her two fingers. Agata instantly recognized that the card was hers.

" _Hijo de puta._ How did you get your hands on that again?" Ricardo laughed as Agata aggressively pat down the pockets of her pants and her blazer looking for her wallet before going around her office for her bag instead.

"Does it matter now? Come on. Yashin's already waiting outside with the van." 

Silene tossed Agata's wallet from the second row of seats inside to van to the passenger seat where Agata was sitting. "I found it between the seats this morning."

Agata opened her wallet and as she expected it still didn't come with her credit card. "Why didn't you just return it?" 

"And miss out on the golden opportunity to swipe your card? No way."

Agata scoffed. "I'm deducting this from your paychecks." 

"You wouldn't," challenged Silene. 

"Deduct what?" Yashin asked, starting up the van.

"Nothing. Lunch is on Agata today," said Ricardo who was lying down in the back row. "Hey, tell him about what happened with Sergio."

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"He is, but our dear brother is planning on going home for his birthday."

"You got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was. Let's just hope that he's going to change his mind."

"So are we still going shopping tomorrow after work?"

"I could still use retail therapy," Agata smirked. "There's nothing wrong with getting a fresh pair of sunglasses." 

"Are we picking up Monica for lunch?" Yashin asked Ricardo.

"No. She said her boss has her piled up with work since she's going on leave." 

"Her boss sounds like an asshole,” replied Yashin, making Silene snicker.

"That's because he is."

"Where are we going to eat anyway?" Agata asked as they were driving out of the parking lot.

“We’re giving you the honor of deciding where to eat since you’re paying.” 

Agata rolled her eyes. “How thoughtful of you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think and I'm also curious about what you think will happen next 😗
> 
> Stay safe and see you soon xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for waiting. I hope that his chapter makes up for it ❤❤❤
> 
> CW: this chapter includes mention of domestic abuse so please proceed accordingly.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and wherever you are in the world, I hope you guys are keeping yourselves safe and healthy.

**Day 6**

Raquel was in bed, watching Ocean's Eleven on HBO when she suddenly found herself surrounded by the darkness.

Her eyes were still adjusting to the lack of light when the emergency lights by the door came on. She left the bed and went to the balcony. The outdoor area and the beach were still lit by outdoor lights but the surroundings were still considerably dim. From the distance, Raquel could see the next hotel just down the street. The light coming out of the windows facing her way made Raquel wonder if they were the only ones without any power at the moment.

She stood there for a while, leaning against the railing, waiting for the generator that assumed that a large hotel like theirs had at its disposal, but nothing. A small blessing was the night isn't as humid as it was yesterday. If worse comes to worst and the power won't be back soon, she could at least sleep somewhat comfortably on top of the bed covers.

After a few more minutes, Raquel checked the time on her phone. 9:37 PM. Almost an hour has passed since the power went out. With the voices coming from out of her room becoming more agitated, she decided that it was time to investigate. Raquel opened her door. The hallway itself was illuminated by the emergency lights. The blackout drew the other guests out of their rooms too with some appearing more upset than the others, mostly those who were already dressed for bed.

She ended up in the lobby where she found both guests and staff have already assembled. The staff were laying out some drinks and small snacks presumably to appease the guests given their current situation. Raquel helped herself to a glass of iced tea and sat on one of the few living chairs in the lounge that remained unoccupied. In the low light, she could still see the frustration and the boredom in some of the guests' faces. She continued looking around and he sees him at the other end of the room talking to an older man, conspicuously dressed in a dress shirt and slacks. Just as it was in the bar, she could tell just by the hair and the glasses but watching him quickly push his eyeglasses up the bridge of his nose made her even more certain.

It's the first time she'd seen him today. She spent much of her day at the beach and walking around town and even visiting a nearby church. It was a good day for her but she caught herself hoping that she'd be running into him more than once which left her feeling quite torn. On the other hand, she's aware it's for the best that they didn't meet today because of the awkward situation she managed to put them in. Still, she can't help but think about why her day felt... incomplete.

She took her eyes from Sergio to refill her glass. When she looked to where he was at again, he was already gone. However, the man he was talking to shortly moved to the center of the lounge, called everyone's attention and introduced himself as the hotel's general manager before explaining what happened with the power and how they could get refunded if they wanted to stay at another hotel for the night or to cancel their reservation entirely.

Raquel stayed in the lobby for half an hour, and when guests were starting to return to their rooms, she quickly grabbed her beach blanket from her room and headed outside. Others also had the same idea. A number of guests were sitting around the beach and the pool area while a few incredibly brave souls were keeping themselves entertained with some night swimming at sea. Raquel found a spot to lay her blanket before sitting down with her knees close to her chest.

She checked the time on her phone again. It was already 10:41 PM. To add insult to injury, her phone was maybe an hour away from dying on her. She forgot to charge her phone again.

After putting her phone back into her pocket, it doesn't take long for Raquel to get comfortable just listening to the waves. Only to be brought back to reality by the sound of footsteps on the sand coming from behind her.

Raquel turned around and froze. By the look on his face, he wasn't expecting to see her too.

Sergio finally spoke, "Is it okay if I sit with you?" He pointed at the space on the blanket right next to Raquel.

Raquel moved a little to her left side. "Make yourself comfortable." She patted on the spot on the blanket to her right. Sergio mumbled his thanks before taking off his sandals and sitting down on the blanket with his legs tucked underneath him.

"So how are you holding up?” He asked.

“I’m doing fine. I was in the middle of watching Ocean’s Eleven but I’ll be alright.”

“Not too upset about the blackout keeping you from Brad Pitt?”

Raquel chuckled, “I already watched it before and I liked George Clooney’s character more.” Her worries over yesterday and the night before started to fade seeing the ghost of a smile on his lips. “And you? I saw you in the lobby a while ago then you disappeared.”

“I went back to the book I was reading in my room. It wasn’t as enjoyable when you have to use your phone as a light.”

As much as trying to read in the dark was a struggle, being cooped up in his hotel room in the dark didn’t help ease his mind from the hotel’s generator failing and the fall that their cash balance would face if any of the guests packed their bags and left tonight.

He’s given up on reading as much as he’d given up on everything else, at least for the night. He hoped that either the maintenance staff working on the generator could get it up and running or that the power will be back soon. He can’t do anything if guests decided to leave either. It wasn’t as if he could beg them to stay.

The sound of the waves fill in the silence as they both get caught up with just watching the sea. Raquel was the first to speak after a while. "I ran into you so many times but it's my first time seeing you here at the beach,” she said.

"I’m here early in the morning. Just walking. Sometimes I bring my coffee with me. I don’t go swimming a lot so you won’t really see me in the water.”

Raquel looked at him suspiciously. “Not even in the pool?”

Sergio shook his head.

“So what’s been keeping you busy for the last month then?”

"Reading mostly." He’s been making progress with the stack books he collected over the years back at the house recently, but Sergio was completely aware that it was his work, both with the hotel and the cidery, that’s still taking most of his time.

“ _Reading_?” Raquel’s amused tone made his cheeks flush.

“Sometimes I drive the motorcycle around. Anything exciting is reserved for when my family’s around to force me to go.” He admitted.

“Sergio?”

“Hmm?”

Raquel shifted so that she was sitting facing Sergio instead of the sea. "Can I ask you something?"

Something about seeing the curiosity in her eyes was causing Sergio’s anxiety to rise.

"What is it?"

"Do you work for the hotel?"

For a split second, Sergio felt his mind go blank. Not long after, his heart started beating fast and he was struggling to maintain a semblance of calm.

"W- What makes you say that?"

Raquel averted his gaze, looking at the sand. "You know the staff and the staff knows you. I thought it was just because you’ve been staying here for a month but I saw you talking to the general manager a while ago.” She turned to meet Sergio’s eyes again. "You speak really fondly of your family so it doesn’t seem like you’re someone who would want to be apart from them for too long. Willingly, that is. And… a month’s stay in a beachfront hotel is a bit too much for someone who doesn’t like the beach too much, don’t you think?”

By time Raquel was done speaking, Sergio’s heart was hammering against his chest.

 _Checkmate_ said the voice in his head.

It might be true that he hasn’t been the most careful in the last five days. Since he arrived, he didn’t talk to the guests until he thought that he absolutely needed to. He preferred anticipating their needs from afar and keeping his ears open whenever he's around them, just to get wind of any problems that he could coordinate with the staff.

A part of him still believed that he could still reason himself out of the situation, if only he could think straight, that Raquel might have connected some of the dots but she still doesn't have the whole picture, and that this fight is still not lost, unlike the one he'd given up when he decided that what's best is just to stay put for his birthday, but the end of the day, is it still worth it?

"Do… Do you mind if I lie down?" Sergio asked. Raquel who's been waiting for him to speak for a few moments, pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling at his unexpected request.

"Suit yourself," Raquel replied and Sergio laid down with his hands on his stomach and his knees bent so his legs won't go over the blanket.

"Is this how police interrogations work?"

"Not at all. I never had to question someone lying on a blanket by the beach before." Sergio cracked a smile, but it wasn't enough to mask the tension from the rest of his face. Seeing this, Raquel explained, "You don't have to answer. I'm just curious that's all."

"I guess you can say that I do work for the hotel."

The satisfaction of that came with being right quickly came to Raquel. The thrill of putting the pieces together wasn't something that she just left behind with her gun and her badge even if it was only a matter of satisfying her own curiosity around the man he's been getting to know since her arrival in Palawan.

His confirmation piqued her interest, but thinking about everything they've managed to talk about it even on the first day that they met, it was still unclear to her why he'd never mentioned that he was connected to the very hotel that they were both staying in.

"Are you a chef?" Raquel teased. They ate together once at the restaurant, but maybe he just wasn't working that day. She sat at his usual table at the restaurant a few times without ever seeing him there so perhaps those were the days that he'd been in the kitchen.

"My cooking skills are fine but no, I'm not a chef."

"You don't look like an accountant." Raquel pondered. It wasn't a serious guess and she clearly remembered that he had a degree in business.

"My sisters would say that my wardrobe back at home would make it seem otherwise." Sergio snorted. The image of Sergio in a long-sleeve shirt with a tie and slacks flooded Raquel's mind. She didn't mind. Not at all. "But no. I'm not an accountant. I told you I studied business."

"And philosophy. I remember."

"You only have one guess left."

"Says who? I didn't know we're keeping count."

Sergio chuckled. "Three guesses seems fair."

"Fine," Raquel conceded. Her knowledge of anything that went on in a hotel was limited to her very few experiences as a guest. The hotel jobs she knew were few. She's only left with one possible answer after ruling out the rest considering what she already knew about Sergio. "Are you a consultant?"

"I was... in a way."

Raquel's eyebrows rose. "So you're not a consultant anymore?"

"T- There's been a change in my job description." Sergio sat upright while fixing his hair. "After I tell you what my job is here in the hotel, can I ask you a question too?" He said after a moment's reflection.

Raquel nodded, but not without hesitation.

"Eight years ago, I helped my brother Andres buy property here in El Nido. A vacation home... and a hotel," Sergio began. "I've been helping here and there over the years in between my responsibilities with the cidery back in Toledo." Sergio took a deep breath before continuing. "Andres passed away more than a year ago from complications from a genetic disorder. Helmer's myopathy. He left the hotel to me."

 _He left the hotel to me_. The words echoed in Raquel's mind while the mention of her brother's death weighed heavy in her heart.

"You... you're the owner of the hotel?"

Sergio nodded slowly. Raquel gaped at him, bewildered.

"This... this is crazy," she uttered in disbelief.

She looked back at the hotel behind them and thought about how much money it would take to have a four-star hotel in one of the most popular destinations in the world. The hotel was a thing of beauty and it wasn't small either. By its size, the number of rooms wouldn't be less than fifty. Knowing that he'd been staying at the hotel for a month and that he works at his family's business already gave Raquel the idea that Sergio lived a comfortable life but how wealthy can his family be to have a hotel in their name?

When Raquel looked back at Sergio again, she still couldn't wrap her head around the thought that the man who owned the hotel she was staying at is the same man who lent her his phone on her first day in Palawan just so she could call her mother back home, the same man who took her on a motorcycle ride just so she could get her phone fixed, the same man that's been challenging her to reconsider—

Raquel interrupted her own train of thought, saying "I never would've imagined that you owned the hotel."

"I try to keep a low profile."

"You've done a great job at it if you ask me."

Sergio adjusted his eyeglasses on his face shyly, Raquel smiled at the gesture.

"And so sorry for your loss," said Raquel.

Sergio lowered his head, "Thank you. Mamá died of complications of the same disease, We've known for a long time that Andres had it too, but there wasn't anything because it didn't have any cure. All he had was the maintenance medication and experimental treatments he tried here and there. His doctors said that he was extremely lucky, having lived past forty. Mamá herself died young... I barely have any memories of her. Andres knew what was coming and we did too, but it was still hard, having to say goodbye but having the hotel to remember him by helped somehow."

A brief silence ensued. Raquel turned her body to sea again, which had them sitting side by side. She took advantage of the silence to take advantage of the silence to mull over what she just learned. The hotel. His brother, Andres, and their mother whom they lost early on.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Our general manager, Señor Torres, is the one responsible for communicating with the guests but my brother did his share of it too. It was something he saw as his responsibility as the owner. I'm not yet comfortable with having to face the guests as he did so I decided that it's for the best that they just didn't know who I was and I continued working behind the scenes."

Raquel stared into his eyes. What she only intended to be a simple question turned out to be more than she could ever have expected. She's at a loss for words and she could only hope that Sergio could see in her eyes that she understood. While she still overwhelmed, it was time to honor her end of the bargain.

"What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Why did you leave the police?"

"It's a long story," she noted.

"I'm willing to listen if you'd let me."

If Raquel had already been clutching at the curtain that concealed that part of her life from her, hearing the sincerity in Sergio's voice was the comfort that she needed to pull it back completely.

"I guess you can imagine how hard it was being a woman working in a man's world. I worked with men who always had something to say. It would've been perfectly fine if the what they said about me was related to work. but no, I was great at my job. I knew that. They knew that. They didn't have anything to say about my job performance, but they had to say something about how I dressed, how I talked, how I needed to smile more. For years, I endured that. I kept my head down while I continued doing my best. With every promotion I earned, I felt like I was earning a little more of their respect but my work just wasn't enough. I was still a woman. Nothing would change that."

And it's this part of her story that Raquel could go through with ease.

It's been her story since she became a part of the National Police Force, long before her ex entered the picture. The words came easy as the sad reality was that she wasn't alone in this and had more than enough conversations with her female co-workers over their shared experiences.

But just as it was easy to articulate the words and those years of being seen as a lesser police officer just because she was a woman didn't bear her physical wounds doesn't mean it hurt her any less.

"Then I was married. He was in forensics. He was smart. Charming. He made me feel like I was the center of the world." Raquel scoffed. "It didn't last long. One day, he yells at me..."

Raquel's voice faltered. "You don't have to tell me this," assured Sergio.

Raquel put her hand on top of his on the blanket. "Yes, I have to," she continued with the calmness returned to her voice. "I survived through this and my therapist always said that there's power in talking about it if I can." Raquel felt her eyes sting with unshed tears that she blinked away before giving him a small smile. "It starts with the yelling and then he hits me for the first time. And then a second time and then a third. And then we got divorced."

"Did you report it?"

"No. He was the most popular guy in the precinct and I just wanted him to leave. I was embarrassed by sitting with my boss and telling him about a year and a half of humiliation and blows. The same way I was embarrassed that I have a 9mm H&K in my glove compartment but I couldn't even take care of myself."

"But that's not true."

"Back then it felt like it was," Raquel insisted. "The real problem came a few months later when my sister went and fell for him. They started dating and traveling and that's when I reported him – late and without proof. I didn't want my sister to go through hell, you know?

But of course, I ended up looking like a jealous psychopath, making false accusations. The agent who didn't report him until he's with her sister. If they didn't have to say something about me before, they certainly had something to say after word got out that I filed a restraining order."

She could still remember the stares she got when she arrived at the precinct after filling her request, even from those who she thought of as friends.

"I was miserable, having to deal with everything alone. It only started to change when mamá asked me if I wanted to move back to her house and I said yes. Being with her helped. I thought it was starting to look up until one day, I found out the forensics department was assigning my ex-husband to the case I was working on. I immediately had my boss remove me from the case but I still ended up having a panic attack in the precinct's bathroom. It was so bad that they took me to the hospital."

She remembered running. Her mind was reeling. Her felt chest tight. She hung on the edge of the sink as her vision started to go dark. The last thing she could recall before she woke up hours later in a hospital bed was a muffled voice asking if she was alright that was shortly followed by a pair of hands on her shoulders that stopped her from falling to the floor.

"The doctor that attended to me recommended that I see a therapist and I was so ashamed of the idea at first because I thought that having to see a therapist that he broke me and I didn't want to believe that. I considered it for a long time before I had the courage to schedule my first session and it turned out to be the second best thing I did for myself. Getting divorced was the best at the time." A wry laugh escaped her lips. "The sessions were difficult. The first two weeks were the hardest. In those two weeks, I thought about not coming back. I eased into it gradually and ended up learning a lot, including the value of letting go. Three months in, I finally admitted that my job wasn't making me happy anymore and I resigned as soon as the case I was assigned to was over three months ago and I never looked back."

Raquel took a deep breath. It was still emotionally exhausting, speaking about everything, but the sense of freedom that came after simply made it worth it.

Unconsciously, Sergio wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and without thinking about it too, Raquel leaned against his touch.

"I- I'm sorry you had to experience through... through something so... if there's anything I can do-" said Sergio with his brows creased in concern.

"There's nothing to worry about anymore." Raquel interrupted. "I told you I quit three months ago and I heard that my ex-husband got demoted soon after I left for whatever reason and he's being transferred to only God knows where... and mamá said he and my sister are over. But the most important part is that I'm doing better than I could ever imagine before I decided to get a divorce."

Sergio was far from being an angry person, but at that moment, he couldn't ignore the anger that stirred from within him over a man that he didn't know the face or name of.

More importantly, he was overwhelmed by the fact the Raquel was simply the strongest person that he'd ever met in his life.

"Are you still going to therapy?"

"I'm done with my appointments. I actually started thinking about going on a vacation after my last session. I wasn't planning on going to Palawan at first."

"You were supposed to go to Lisbon, right?"

"I was."

"I think you would've loved Lisbon."

"I think so too but... I wouldn't trade the last five days that I've been here in El Nido for the world."

Only when he felt Raquel's fingers going up and down his hand that was on her left shoulder did he become aware of the position they were in. Taking a look at her face, she looked comfortable, with her eyes focused at the sea.

"I...is this okay?" Sergio referred to his arm around her. His voice came out as barely a whisper and Raquel's fingers stopped in their path immediately. When Sergio was just about to pull his arms away from her, Raquel turned her head to his direction.

They both froze as their faces were barely inches away from each other. Sergio waited for Raquel's answer with bated breath.

Raquel bit her lip and gently nodded. Sergio's already raging heart started to beat even faster. His eyes drop down to her lips just as Raquel's eyes drop down to his and at that moment Sergio almost forgot how it was to breathe.

A few feet behind them, the lights at the bar suddenly came to life. They pull away simultaneously as they watched as the rest of the lights around them turned back on.

Just like that, the spell is broken.

"Looks like the power's back on." Raquel made the effort to mask the disappointment in her voice. Sergio checked the time on his watch. Only a few minutes shy to midnight.

When they locked eyes again, an air of regret and uncertainty started to creep in. Sergio made the decision to step in. "Can I walk you to your room?" he offered.

"Sure."

With Sergio's help, Raquel neatly folded the blanket they were sitting on and headed back inside together.

The line for the elevator had them taking the stairs to the second floor. In contrast to the busy hallway that she passed through when she left for the lobby earlier, the whole hallway was now quiet. Raquel figured that the guests that she shared the floor with headed to bed the first chance they got to turn their air-conditioning or that they didn't get to return to their rooms just yet.

Raquel swallowed nervously when they stopped outside of her door. She turned to her companion right beside her. They haven't said a word since she'd suggested they take the stairs. However, the look in Sergio's eyes was enough of a confirmation that what happened – or more accurately, what didn't happen– on the beach was on his mind too.

She took a single step forward, but not before reminding herself that letting go sometimes involved breaking a few promises here and there.

Standing on her tiptoes, Raquel inclined her face towards Sergio and laid a soft kiss against Sergio's lips. Before she knew it he was kissing her back and she was clinging to him while everything was just lost in between the sensations of lips against lips, her fingers getting lost in his hair, and his hands on her waist.

A surge of giddiness had her smiling against his lips just as they were running out of breath.

"I know I said I won't kiss you again but–" Sergio grinned before planting his lips on her, kissing her repeatedly. It doesn't take long until Raquel's tongue was parting his lips again and she had her back pressed against the wall right next to her hotel door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos (i just saw that this fic already reached 200+ kudos aaaah) I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤ Until next time xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaah thanks for your patience again alas, it's time to set this chapter free before it ends me
> 
> on another note: we're halfway through the fic ;') it's been a lovely journey so far so thank you for your support! let's hope to see each other at the end ❤

** Day 7 **

The second Sergio felt Raquel's lips on his, his mind went blank. The rest of the world disappeared into nothing. A million thoughts ran through his mind all at once in a snap: the loudest of them being that this moment in time that he was kissing Raquel couldn't possibly be true.

He still found himself kissing her back and Raquel's kiss tasted like an answer. Sergio grounded himself on the feeling of his lips on hers, her hand softly pulling at his hair, and his fingers gently sinking into the skin of her waist. It was real. He was kissing Raquel and it was as real as it can be. 

He was sure that his heart was going to explode in his chest and it was the most beautiful and possibly also the most terrifying feeling that he's ever felt in his life. 

Just as he was running out of breath, he felt Raquel smile against the kiss before looking up to him in a way that stripped him away from whatever air that was left in his lungs.

"I know I said I won't kiss you again but–" 

Part of him wanted to tell her how disappointed he'd been when she said that but chose to stop her with a kiss instead. He kissed her again, and again, and  _ again _ , with each kiss lasting longer than the previous. Raquel pulled him closer with one hand on the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. Sergio, matching her insistence with his own, led them to the side, with Raquel's back against the wall right next to the door to her room. 

Raquel wrapped her arms around his neck and Sergio's hand found their way back to her waist. Never in his wildest dreams did he dare to ever think about having the opportunity to kiss her in the days that he'd struggled with the fact that he was falling for her fast. 

Yet, in the very brief instances of clarity in between those where he was simply lost in her, he was thankful for whatever force in the universe that made it possible.

When they eventually pulled away, Raquel struggled to control her breathing. She watched Sergio do the same with his chest heaving, his lips thoroughly kissed, and his hair left tousled by her eager fingers moments ago. 

She giggled – it something she'd be embarrassed about if only her heart swelled with a feeling that she couldn't bear to put a name on just yet seeing him like  _ this _ and knowing that she's in the same state when her lips still burned from the kiss and the rest of her body still hummed from his touch.

Sergio touched his forehead to hers and Raquel closed her eyes. Her heartbeat was yet to return to normal yet her mind already had her standing at a crossroads. Raquel knew that she'd never  _ wanted _ someone so badly but the fear of surrendering so much so soon was weighing on her with every passing second.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking into his. She unwrapped her arms around his neck to cup his cheeks with both hands. When Sergio smiled, she doesn't resist the urge to place her fingers where his dimples are. Her heart swelled with that unnamed feeling again, making her even more conflicted than she already was.

This time, it's Sergio who initiates the kiss. He inched closer and she met his lips with hers just when they were any distance left between them. It starts slow and soft – almost like a caress – and Raquel's eyes flutter close. 

She wanted him. Undeniably. She wanted to open the door to her room and take him to bed and she wanted to kiss him first thing in the morning when she woke up.

It's this want that has her clamp down on the anxiety bubbling from the wounds from a distant past that are still in the process of healing. But she just can't. 

At least, not tonight.

"As much as I really, really want to invite you in..." Raquel whispered against his lips, her eyes still shut. "Is it okay with you if we slow down for the night?"

She's a little afraid to open her eyes to see his reaction. When she does the warm smile that greets her tugs at her heart.

"Of course," assured Sergio. Holding her hands, he continued "Raquel... I- I don't know what this is yet but I want to do this right."

Raquel swallowed nervously as her heart skipped a beat. "Me too," she said.

"Join me for breakfast tomorrow?"

"What time?"

"How does nine sound?"

"I'm still having trouble waking up early," Raquel confessed. "but I'll be there."

"I don't mind waiting."

"No, no." A soft laugh escaped Raquel. "I'll set an alarm for tomorrow. I promise I won't sleep through it and I'll see you at 9. I won't be late."

They jokingly bid each other good morning before saying good night. Sergio gave her hands one last squeeze before letting go. The absence of his touch almost made Raquel change her mind.

"Sergio, wait." He'd barely made a step in the direction of the elevator when Raquel's hand captured his wrist made him turn around. "One last kiss before you go isn't such a bad idea."

*****

It might be the first time in his life that Sergio hated the fact that he was an early-riser. The sun was yet to rise, which meant that he was still a few hours away from seeing Raquel again. If only he'd ask her to breakfast at 8 or maybe even 7...

He shook his head at the ridiculous thought. 

Sergio got up and made his bed. By this time he would already be starting up the coffee maker he'd taken from the house to his hotel room but he was already wide awake with a cocktail of nervousness and excitement that was pumping through his veins. 

He placed an order for a cup of earl grey through room service instead. Maybe that would calm him down.

Sergio sat down at the edge of his bed facing the window to the balcony. He watched as the sun was beginning to peek through the horizon. The gentle rays of sunlight hits him in the eyes and the events of last night come crashing down on him in an instant. 

He feels kind of crazy, smiling all by himself so early in the morning, so he tones it down a notch only to feel his cheeks burn, the tips of his fingers tingle and something else entirely stirs in the pit of his stomach when the taste of Raquel's lips and the feel of having her in his arms came rushing back in full clarity.

Sergio sighed at the knocking on his hotel door. He received the tray and placed the cup and the saucer on the counter in the kitchenette before heading straight to the bathroom for a cold shower.

He came back to a cup of tea long gone cold which he sipped on while distracting himself with reading emails and reviewing new supplier contracts. 

Sergio found it odd that he hasn't received anything from Agata yet but decided to let it pass.

*****

Raquel held the phone in front of her face while she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. It was only 7:30 in the morning. She'd set her alarm for 8.

She put her phone back on her nightstand and closed her eyes to try and get another 30 minutes of sleep before her alarm went off. It was no use. Waking up before her alarm was nothing short of a miracle when she'd spent another hour awake. Sergio granting her request for a last kiss didn't help with her case at all.

Waking up before the time she intended to turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 

She kept saying to herself "It's just breakfast, Raquel" when she went through all the clothes she packed twice. She chose a white sundress in the end but not without questioning her choice in front of the mirror for another 5 minutes before finally getting herself out of her room.

Raquel checked the time on her watch before the elevator doors opened to the ground floor and she was just in time. From the elevator, Raquel headed left to the direction of the lobby. She saw him from afar with his hands in his pockets looking deep in thought. 

Sergio turned to her direction as she reached the end of the elevator hallway. "Hi," she greeted as she approached. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not too long."

Sergio's eyes drift to her mouth one moment too long that has Raquel anticipating a kiss.

Except that it doesn't come.

"Let's go eat breakfast." He announced in a cheery tone that she just had to try and not be disappointed but it's when his hand slipped into hers before he leading her to the direction of the restaurant that it's completely forgotten.

*****

They're halfway through breakfast but there's still no mention of the previous night, but there's a new lightness in the way they laugh about the trouble Raquel might directly or indirectly caused while she was training in Avillá and the time that Sergio accidentally got drunk of a very early sample of their cider that his father had kept in their fridge at home. 

"The weather is just so beautiful today," Raquel mused as she looked at the cloudless sky from the window, two empty plates between the two of them.

"Yeah, it's a shame to let it go to waste." 

Raquel smirked, looking back at him again. "That's something coming from the man who's been reading for the past month." Raquel knew that it was a little unfair coming from her who sometimes likes to sit at the beach just reading too. 

"Hey. I don't spend all day reading," retorted Sergio before chuckling. 

"How about work then?" Raquel challenged and the way that Sergio averted his eyes from her simply told her that she's right.

"Well, sometimes but not every day."

Raquel shook her head, playing it off as a sign of disappointment, but the trace of a smile on her lips said otherwise.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Sergio asked.

"Not really," replied Raquel, looking at him expectantly. "Why'd you ask?"

"What do you think about going on a short hike?"

*****

Raquel agreed even if Sergio insisted on telling her nothing about where they will be going.

"It's supposed to be a surprise," he said.

After Sergio finally convinced Raquel that breakfast was on him, they set out to their respective rooms for a change of clothes and to pack their things.

By his instructions, Raquel packed just her essentials in her tote bag and changed out of her dress to a pair of denim shorts and a white shirt, with a black one-piece underneath. She could only guess that maybe they'd be going to a beach after the hike. 

They meet outside the hotel where Sergio's already waiting on his motorcycle. He's wearing the same white-button up shirt as earlier but changed his linen pants to a pair of board shorts. 

"Aren't you telling me anything else except for we're going hiking?"

"You'll see when we get there," Sergio offered. Raquel scrunched up her nose at his unsatisfying answer and Sergio tried to keep up a straight face as he handed her a helmet. 

*****

After an hour the number of houses they drove by has gone sparse, and the view of the coast has been replaced by hillside forests. They stop at a small house on the side of the road. Raquel looked around for clues as they were walking up the path to the porch but only found a hand-painted sign that said "GUIDED TOURS HERE."

It's later when their trekking for twenty minutes through the lush forest with their guide Miguel telling them to watch their step as well as to watch out for _leeches _ of all things, that Raquel thought that it wasn't what expecting to do with their day. When Sergio mumbled an apology did Raquel realize that she was thinking out loud. 

After another five minutes, Sergio turned to her, saying "Can you hear it already?" 

"What?" Raquel looked at him confused.

"Listen closely." He replied, pointing at the direction to where they were heading, and Raquel tried to listen way past the sound of their footsteps and the sound of the rustling leaves. Raquel caught the sound of rushing water and it was getting louder with every step that they took. 

It doesn't take long until a waterfall pouring into an emerald pool below was right before their eyes. Raquel took in the sight in front of her while Sergio spoke to Miguel right beside her. She took a few steps towards the plunge pool to look into the water and look up at the thin veil of water rushing down from the top of the rocky cliff. 

She was mesmerized. The sight itself made every minute of the hike worth it. She couldn't wait until she got in the water. 

She turned around to where Sergio and Miguel were standing and saw that their guide was already leaving. "Where is he going?" She asked Sergio. 

"He's coming back for us in two hours. Unless another group takes the tour we have this place to ourselves he comes back."

" _ Can you take a picture of us before you go? _ " Raquel called out to their guide. 

Miguel nodded and Raquel took her phone out of her bag and handed it over. Raquel rolled her eyes at Sergio who's standing gingerly by her side. Facing the camera, she pulled him closer by the hip. 

The gesture caught him by surprise at first so it took him a few seconds to respond by wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

*****

They find a flat rock to put their bags on not so far from the pool. 'We only have two hours. We shouldn't waste any time," Raquel said vaguely.

Sergio nodded in agreement. He took off his glasses and started to unbutton the buttons of his shirt. He's halfway through when he noticed that Raquel was just sitting next to their bags, watching. "Aren't you going to..." He gestured at her shirt and her shorts. 

" _ You go first, _ " Raquel said with a light shrug and Sergio continued unbuttoning his shirt tentatively. He chuckled when he caught the smirk that Raquel was fighting to hard to keep off and continued with the rest of his buttons eagerly.

"My turn," Raquel announced after he'd place his folded shirt on top of his bag. She kept her eyes on him while taking her time taking off her shirt and her shirt to reveal the bathing suit she was wearing underneath. Sergio's throat turned dry. He's still half-dazed when Raquel took his hand, leading them into the pool, only to snap out of it when his feet touched the cool water. 

*****

They stop at the center of the pool. The water's around waist-deep for Sergio but a few inches deeper for Raquel. "You're not so tall, aren't you?" Sergio mused, his tone half-serious, half-amused. A scoff was the last thing he heard before a splash of water hits him right at the face. 

"Do you have a problem with that?" He couldn't help but laugh even if his vision is still blurred with water. "Not at all," he managed to say. "You're perfect."

When his vision finally cleared, Sergio was quick to assume that he's completely forgiven by the sight of Raquel's grin. 

He almost missed the glint in her eyes that told him about what was to come but he quickly seized the small window of opportunity to take her with him as she pushed him into the water. 

They burst out laughing as they emerged with their hair plastered on their faces. Sergio reached out for Raquel to brush the tendrils of her hair that stuck to her forehead as she did the same.

Raquel met Sergio's lips halfway in a deep kiss that warms the both of them all over the moment their laughter subsided. Raquel put her arms around his neck and her legs around her waist. Sergio held on to her by her waist and the small of her back, keeping her close. Feeling her lips on his again, he wondered how he's made it through half of the day without kissing her again. 

Sergio pulled back, his breathing heavy. "What do you think about this place?" asked Sergio as they're both catching their breath.

"It's perfect. How did you find it?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go on one of the El Nido tours but I wasn't sure if you wanted to spend most of the day on a boat with strangers. I asked one of my staff if there was an island or a waterfall without having to go on the tour before I met you for breakfast. This was one of the places she recommended."

"What's her name? Maybe I should be thanking her instead."

"Raquel..."

She interrupts him with a peck on the lips.

"Thank you for bringing me here," said Raquel. "I hope this isn't so bad. I know you're not a fan of swimming and all. Next time, we can just read at the beach if you want..." she added in a teasing tone.

"I didn't say that," Sergio scoffed, masking his delight at the mention of next time. "And I wasn't the one complaining on the way here."

"I'm sorry for not being too excited about having a leech biting my leg." Raquel bit back.

"It turned out fine, right?" 

"The hike was definitely worth it. It wasn't so 'short' like you said during breakfast. No leeches, sadly." Sergio wrinkled his nose at the mention of leeches again. Raquel snorted. "Let's see on the way back," she continued.

"Stop with the leeches.  _ Por favor _ ." Sergio said with conviction that made Raquel laugh before zipping her fingers across her mouth.

"We should probably start swimming now," He noted. Nothing has changed from their position earlier. 

"This isn't so bad. I don't mind staying like this longer."

"What happened to 'not wasting any time'?"

"Would you call  _ this _ wasting time?" Raquel drew him close and pressed her mouth on his. Sergio knew that she's trying to prove a point but he sinks into the kiss, deep and fierce, nonetheless.

*****

Two hours passed quickly. Back at Miguel's house, Sergio and Raquel took a shower at the bathrooms they had for the tourists. Raquel changed back to her shirt and her shorts. Sergio changed back to her button-down and the linen pants that he wore to breakfast. 

They drove down to the beach not too far from the hotel. They bought fresh coconuts to sip on with club sandwiches Sergio packed for lunch from the restaurant while sitting on Raquel's beach blanket.

"My legs are so tired. I take back what I said about reading at the beach," Raquel said with a groan after she finished her sandwich. "Have you heard of the book  _ The God of Small Things? _ I started reading it last week and it's beautiful."

"by Arundhati Roy?"

Raquel nodded. 

"I haven't read it yet, but I'm sure I have a copy of it back in Toledo."

Raquel imagined having a book in her hands with her head on his lap. The weather's perfect and they have the blanket under the shade of a tree.

It brought her a familiar comfort that she realized she wanted to hold on to, so she asked, "Do you feel like relaxing at the beach with the book tomorrow, after breakfast?"

"I'd love to. I'm rereading One Hundred Years of Solitude myself and there's nothing I'd want more than to spend more time with you."

Raquel's breath hitched. "How do you do that so easily?" She blurted out.

His brow furrowed slightly in curiosity. "Do what?"

"You make it so easy to..."  _ You make it so easy to fall in love with you. _ Raquel took a deep breath. Her hand right hand forming a fist with the blanket as she tried to get a hold of her feelings. "It's only been a week since I've met you... but I've never felt this strongly about a person before and I've been married, for god's sake and  _ you _ . You make it so easy, Sergio, and I just don't know to do with you."

"Raquel, you've been in my mind since the day we met," Sergio confessed while holding her hand. "When I first realized that I first had these feelings for you... I'm not joking when I say I thought I was out of my mind," A nervous laugh escaped Sergio's lips. "Believe me when I say I don't know what I'm doing. I'm quite old and you're my first– you're the first person that's ever made me feel this way. I say I don't know what I'm doing, yes, but I'd like to figure out together if you'll have me."

They stay at the beach until the sunset with Raquel resting her head on his shoulder. They're both a little reluctant to go but they're both tired and Sergio was aware that the roads in El Nido weren't the best for driving at night. 

Sergio's phone vibrated in his bag when they started walking to where they parked the motorcycle. 

Silene  
3 new messages

PSSST hey  
Calling u on Skype tomorrow to discuss the annual marketing proposal  
so clear your schedule for tomorrow 3 PM ok alright kisses bye

He sighed. Silene still doesn't believe in setting a meeting beforehand but he's excited to see the changes she's made since they last talked about the marketing proposal last month. Sergio replied nothing else but a single thumbs-up which he knew would just annoy her before putting his phone back in his bag.

*****

Neither of them wanted the day to end just yet.

"Would you like to sleep in my room tonight?" The question came without any trace of fear or any second thoughts from Raquel when they were in the elevator after eating together.

Sergio doesn't think twice before saying yes either but asked if he could take a shower and changed to something more comfortable before coming to her room. Raquel agreed. 

"Room 204, right?" he confirmed her room number that he remembered from yesterday night before Raquel got out of the elevator on the second floor. She replied with a nod, smiling.

The fatigue that she thought to have magically faded away during dinner immediately came rushing back as soon as she entered her hotel room. Raquel headed straight for the shower and as she guessed, the hot shower did wonders to soothe the soreness that she was feeling in her legs. She quickly brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and got dressed in black shorts and a loose-fitting shirt that was at least two sizes too big for her. 

She'd barely had any chance to give herself one last look in the mirror before the gentle knocking sound on her door sent a fluttering feeling to her chest. She made her way to the door and Raquel felt her hand slightly shake before turning the handle. 

Raquel just had to take in the sight in front of her: black shirt, grey sweatpants, and hair still slightly damp from the shower. Raquel pulled the door wide open and Sergio walked inside.

Raquel turned off the lights and walked over to the left side of the bed and Sergio took the right. With only the light of the mood, Raquel could still feel his eyes and his posture posing a silent question: what am I supposed to do next? so Raquel simply got under the blanket and she watched as he took off his glasses before doing the same.

Part of her wanted to joke about seeing him take his eyeglasses off was just like watching Clark Kent transform to Superman since she saw him take them off earlier but the feeling of him lying right next to her erased every other thought in her mind. 

Sergio pulled her closed without any hesitation. Immediately, Raquel snuggled up against his chest. His heart was beating fast and he was almost certain that she could hear it. 

Despite that, he felt an overwhelming sense of calm creep up on him. Sergio pressed a kiss on the crown of her head. The last thing he remembered before succumbing to sleep was a light kiss on the side of his jaw followed by Raquel whispering 'good night.' 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I love replying to each one but i'm trying my best in the middle of everything that's been happening hehehe I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤ 
> 
> The next chapter is kind of chaotic (in a good way, i think?) so buckle up!! stay healthy and safe and see u next week xx


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's almost a month since the last update hehe apologies for the delay. it's been a rough couple of weeks but i'm returning a college graduate :') (no ceremony yet because of corona but yeah!!!)
> 
> i rewrote this chapter twice but i hope you guys like the version i ended with ;)

** Day 8, Part One **

Sergio woke to a room in semidarkness and he immediately became aware of two things: He wasn't in his hotel room and that he wasn't alone. The warmth coming from his side, the weight on his right arm, the feeling of her soft breath against his cheek, and the smell of her hair reminded him that he was sharing a bed with Raquel even if he was yet to open his eyes.

Unlike most of his mornings, this time, he doesn't feel even the need to instantly get out of bed. With his eyes still closed it was almost too easy to forget about the world that exists beyond Raquel's bed. A certain kind of calm has taken the place of the rush to start the day and it enveloped him just like a warm blanket.

He hears Raquel mumble something incoherent that makes him finally open his eyes. The first thing that came to his mind was how unfair it was that she could still take his breath away even in her sleep. With her sleeping so close, even in the faintest hint of morning light seeping in from the outside, Sergio took his time to appreciate every curve and line on her face.

The numbness in his arm seemed to suggest that they've been sleeping like that for hours with Raquel snuggled against her side with one arm draped on his chest while he slept on his back while holding her close. It was a small price that he's just glad to pay. Sergio pressed a kiss against her forehead just because he couldn't help it, and because even if the day had barely even started, the thought that he'd like to wake up like this tomorrow was already starting to form in the back of his mind.

"Sergio..." Raquel mumbled. Sergio thought that she was simply talking in her sleep until she snuggled closer grumbling, "I said go back to sleep..."

He chuckled under his breath but still closed his eyes to try and do what she asked. Without even knowing, he succumbed back to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Later, when Raquel's eyes flutter open as sunlight flooded her hotel room she's greeted by the sight of Sergio sleeping soundly. 

Despite the tender moment and the calm stillness of Sergio's features, waking up to him so up close was enough to jolt her full body awake. 

Raquel's fingertips delicately went down the bridge of Sergio's nose. She stopped just at the edge of his upper lip before she continued downwards, a little slower this time, feeling the curve of his lips underneath her fingers. The corner of his lips twitched when her finger passed over his lower lip.

When her finger trailed off of Sergio's chin, Raquel wondered how receptive he would be of the idea of being kissed awake. Raquel promptly began her investigation. She returned her arm to its previous position on top of his chest before leaving a peck on the side of his neck, immediately followed by another on the curve of his jaw. Her lips brushed against his beard just as she remembered when she did the same before falling asleep the night before.

Sergio’s eyes remained closed but the beginning of a smile on his lips and his hold on her waist tightening only encouraged Raquel.

Raquel took her time with a kiss on Sergio’s cheek. She pulled back to take a good look on his face. He may seem unrelenting but the change in the rise and fall of his chest underneath her hand told Raquel otherwise.

She left another kiss on the corner of his mouth before she turned to lay on her stomach, hoisting herself up on one elbow while keeping her other arm on his chest.

Raquel inched in closer. With her face hovering above his, it was practically impossible to miss how his lips had already curved into a smile. So much for pretending to be asleep. Raquel tried her best not to laugh.

She moved closer and closer and closer and when the tip of her nose touched his she  _ stopped _ . Raquel pulled her lower lip between her teeth just to stop herself from chuckling as she watched the movement under Sergio’s eyelids and his brows furrow slightly.

Raquel tried, she sure did, but the pull of his lips was too strong for her to resist so early in the morning. She broke the distance between their lips – there was barely any to start with – with a soft kiss. She felt him return the kiss when her eyes fell close. Sergio's eyes flutter open. The tender look he gave her was enough to render her speechless.

Placing his hand on top of hers on his chest, Sergio greeted her "Good morning," with his voice still raspy with sleep. 

Raquel offered him a small smile still not trusting her voice to speak and now with Sergio awake, the newness of having him in her bed started to take over her mind. 

"Is everything alright?" asked Sergio in concern.

"Yes. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Sergio's expression turned into a mix of nervousness and curiosity as he placed his hand on top of hers on his chest.

"You," Raquel took her hand from underneath his. "And this" She pointed at him then her before slipping her hand underneath his again which did little to soothe Sergio's nerves.

"Are you... are you having any second thoughts?"

"God, no." Raquel herself chuckled lightly at the quickness of her answer. She watched as Sergio's nervous expression morph into a smile. "I  _ invited _ you here last night, remember?"

Sergio breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to ask me to leave."

"Really? Even after I already kissed you good morning?" Raquel needled. 

"I... I don't know. I'm not exactly good at reading people and it looked like something was weighing on you for a second. I'm sorry for assuming the worst."

'You don't have to read me to know because I'm telling you now that I'm not changing my mind." Sergio's smiled widened at Raquel's words. "This..." Raquel took her hand from underneath his and gestured at the space between the two of them. "This is new." She cupped Sergio's cheek and peered into his eyes. "Did you mean what you said yesterday, about figuring this out together?"

Sergio nodded, saying "I meant every single word." The intensity of his gaze almost made Raquel shiver. 

"I meant every single word too. Especially when I said that I've never felt this strongly for anyone. I'm just being completely honest with you when I say that it scares me even when I said that I'm learning to not let what happened in the past to weight me down."

"I'm scared too." Sergio looped his arms around Raquel's middle. "You... surprised me. In a good way. When I saw you walk into the bar on your first day here, I never would've thought that we'll end up here." Sergio swallowed, "But I've always thought that you're very beautiful."

Sergio blushed at his own admission. Raquel knew that her own cheeks have taken a similar color too.

"Look at us, being scared together," said Raquel with a chuckle, "I hope the present company's not too bad."

"Hmmm. I think she's brave as much as she's beautiful. She sings very well too." Sergio's forehead wrinkled in concentration. "I only have good things to say... Ah, there's one little thing–"

Raquel readied herself just in case Sergio would be making another joke about her height just as he did yesterday.

"She does have a tendency to keep the blanket to herself," Sergio continued and Raquel looked at their legs and found most of the blanket bundled around hers. 

She sent him an apologetic smile. "Did you get cold?" Sergio hugged her tighter, "You kept me warm."

Raquel fought hard to keep a straight face even if the warmth she felt in her cheeks earlier was already making a return.

She narrowed her eyes at Sergio, saying "On top of being charming, who would've known that you're quite a sweet talker too."

"I try," he hummed, "So 'charming', huh?"

"Fishing for more compliments?"

"Noooo," Sergio crooned, laughing, making his eyes disappear into half-moons. Raquel resisted the urge to kiss him again right there. "But I do want to know what you think," he insisted. 

Raquel pretended to be in deep thought while Sergio waited expectantly. "Aside from the good looks," she began in a matter-of-factly tone, "The present company's also sweet." She looked up to the ceiling briefly as she considered her next words. "So far he's been kind. Considerate." 

"He's quite a good kisser too," she added as she curled a tendril of his hair around her index finger.

"Really?" Sergio's eyes went wide. Raquel nodded while feigning nonchalance. She released his hair from his index finger. "Come to think of it, I don't really have enough evidence to say that."

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh. So I might have to take that back."

Before Raquel knew it, Sergio switches their position with just one gentle push at her waist with her lying on her back on the mattress and Sergio's face hovering above hers.  Her heart was beating wildly against her ribcage that she's convinced that it will burst if he doesn't kiss her immediately.

The wait doesn't last long. Sergio's bent his head down and his lips descend on hers in a deep kiss. Raquel opened her mouth eagerly. Her tongue glided against his with newfound ease that made her head spin. 

They stay like that for minutes, kissing. Every inch of Raquel's body burned with every second. When she instinctively tugged at his hair and Sergio moaned against her lips in response, she was sure that her resolve was mere seconds after from crashing and burning so when Sergio stopped the kiss and pulled away, she's caught between wanting to thank him or curse at him.

A moment passes without them saying a word while they both try to catch their breath. 

"What do you want for breakfast?" Sergio managed to ask and the first answer that came to Raquel's mind was "you" but the realization that he stopped kissing her to ask her for about breakfast quickly replaced the thought. Raquel couldn't be any more frustrated and charmed at him at the same time.

"Pancakes and a decaf," Raquel answered the first thing that came to mind. She wasn't particularly craving for anything at the moment and with the half of his body still pressed against hers, she was still a little distracted to say at least.

Sergio moved to put his eyeglasses on and reached for the phone right next to it on the nightstand. 

"What are you doing?"

"Ordering room service," he said before picking up the handset.

"Let me do it." Raquel held out her hand signaling Sergio to hand the phone over. He was trying to get away with paying for breakfast again.

"No."

"Sergio," she called out his name like a warning. Sergio kept the handset at his chest while they tried to stare each other down.

"Sergio,  _ hand it over _ ." 

"Even if I let you do it, you know I'm still going to deduct it from your bill, right?" Sergio looked at her amused. 

Raquel groaned in frustration before waving him off to go on with it. A triumphant smirk played on his lips while he dialed away.

She excused herself to go to the bathroom for a shower. Just before she closed the bathroom door, she noticed how Sergio already had the blanket pooled right at his middle. Knowing that she wasn't the only one still affected by the kiss made her smile to herself. 

******

It wasn't easy for Sergio to leave her room after enjoying their breakfast together but he had more than a few responsibilities to attend to that morning, including checking with the staff if all the deluxe rooms booked by a group who were coming in that day were already prepared.

Sergio took the tray of their empty plates with him to place them outside her door. They both confirm their plan from yesterday for after breakfast and Raquel sent him off with a peck on the cheek. 

When she locked the door behind Sergio, a certain emptiness filled her hotel room that wasn't there before that Raquel couldn't easily shake off. She doesn't want to dwell on the feeling but the now-empty bed right at the center of the room that Sergio seemed to have made while she was taking a shower was too stark of a reminder. 

After putting on some sunscreen and getting dressed, she left the room for a long walk down the beach. Raquel had the intention of burning off the breakfast but she ended up using the time alone to put her mind in place too. 

They meet around three hours later at the beach staying true to their plan to have a calming day after yesterday's activities. 

Sergio finds her one of the wooden lounge chairs on the shore in the shade of a large umbrella reading. Taking the lounge chair right next to her, he opened his worn-out copy of  _ One Hundred Years of Solitude _ . 

After more or less an hour and a half of reading at a snail's pace and catching each other stealing glances way too many times, Sergio and Raquel gave up on reading altogether. 

So with their books in Raquel's bag, they rode Sergio's motorcycle to town. They leave the motorcycle at the same parking lot at the center the last time they were there together. After paying the fee, Sergio took Raquel's hand in his and they walked to the streets of El Nido with their fingers laced together. 

The sights and sounds of the town were becoming more familiar to Raquel. She's been having fun going through the many places to eat in town and in the process, she's getting used to the mix of the heat, the noise, and the smoke that she thought that it might be one of the things that she'll miss when she returned home.

Home. She's returning home in less than a week. Distracted by the thought, Raquel almost bumped into another tourist walking the other way. Her glance strayed to Sergio and then to their joined hands. 

They end up at a Vietnamese restaurant in Serena Street. Over their bowls of pho, Raquel told Sergio about the cafe in Madrid that she frequented back when she was still working called Hanoi. While she was glad that he was amused that they didn't serve anything remotely Vietnamese in the menu ( _ Not even cafe da? Sergio asked in such a scandalized tone that almost made her laugh if she'd only knew what it was before he explained it _ ) Raquel had to wrestle with the idea of possibly taking him there someday.

Raquel asked for the bill after they're done eating. The disapproving look on Sergio's face has her proposing a deal: she'll let him get away with shouldering everything when they eat at the hotel, but she'll be the one to handle the bill when they dine anywhere else. It took him a little more convincing to get him to agree, but Raquel has a feeling that he'll try to find a way around it somehow.

******

The workaround came in the form of a dinner invitation.

"Do you want to have dinner together?" Sergio asked when they were walking to the elevator. After lunch, they went walking down El Nido Beach watching the boats come and go while eating ice cream before Sergio had to go back to the hotel just in time for his meeting with Silene.

"Are we eating at the restaurant or do you have someplace else in mind?" Sergio doesn't miss in the slight change in enthusiasm in her voice at the mention of dining outside the hotel, but with the plan to show her the house and cook dinner for the two of them, he simply answered "Is it alright if it's a surprise?"

Raquel gave him a long look before the elevator opened in front of them and they both stepped inside.

"As long as you remember our deal," she replied as she pressed for his and her floor on the elevator buttons.

Sergio answered with a nod even if his plan didn't quite sit at the bounds of what they agreed on.

"See you at 8 then." 

******

All Sergio could do when his watch hit 4:00 p.m. was sigh. He’s been waiting in front of his laptop for the past hour but there’s still no sign of Silene.

He sent her a message forty-five minutes ago asking if their meeting was still on. She still hasn’t opened that message.

He tried calling fifteen minutes later but she didn’t pick up either. Sergio hasn’t heard from her since she replied a string of eye roll emojis to his last message yesterday.

She doesn’t exactly have a pristine reputation when it came to being early especially back when their papá suggested that she help with the administrative tasks in the office. She’s changed drastically since then and he's meeting deadlines and coming to work nine times out of ten. The rest is still a work-in-progress but he just didn’t expect to be a victim of it right when he was planning to wrap their meeting up in less than two hours so he could still take a trip to the market to buy what he still needed for his dinner with Raquel that night.

After one last look at his laptop, Sergio left his desk for the balcony. He looked past the pool area to the beach. Even if it was hard to tell if Raquel was among the guests at the beach from where he was standing Sergio still found himself squinting at the figures hanging around the shore.

The sound of his phone buzzing incessantly from inside the room called his attention has him returning to his desk in a hurry. 

Agata  
3 new messages

  
SERGIO Where are you?  
Are you at the hotel?  
please go to the entrance now 😛

Silene  
3 new messages  
  
Hey hey where are you  
sergio where are you?  
I know you’re at the hotel ENTRANCE NOW!!! jajajaja

Barely a second after reading Silene’s last text, the screen of Sergio’s phone was occupied by a Facetime notification from Silene herself. Sergio hurriedly pressed accept and his sister’s face appeared on the screen.

“He picked up!” Silene announced.

“Where is he? Tell him to meet us at the entrance. Quick.” Sergio recognized the frantic voice as Ricardo’s.

“Can everyone please calm down a little? Cinci, why don’t you tell your papá that he doesn’t need to be so loud?” 

Sergio heard his brother mumble what seemed like an apology making Silene laugh. Her internet connection seemed a little spotty as her image blurred and froze for a few seconds. When the call unfreezes, the pixelated faces of Agata and Yashin popped in from the seats behind Silene and Anibal came in from her left shoulder, giving Sergio a small wave before disappearing out of frame again.

“What’s going on?” Sergio asked in a frantic tone.

Judging from what he could see from his phone, his supposed meeting with Silene will not push through and it seemed like and it seemed like his entire family was on the road to somewhere. Sergio still doesn’t have an idea on what Agata and Silene’s messages meant.

_Unless_ …

“Are we still not going to tell him where we are?” Yashin spoke.

“Why don’t we just showed him instead?” came Agata’s excited reply. Silene handed her phone to Anibal. She shot him a conspiring look, saying “Can you please let our brother here get a good look outside the window?”

Anibal pressed on the screen and the call switched from the front camera to the rear. Sergio caught sight of the back of the driver’s seat before Anibal pointed the phone to the window.

It immediately dawned on him that they weren’t in Toledo or in Spain at all. Sergio has known that roadside view of the sea, even more so in the last few months.

“I think he already knows,” said Anibal as soon as they approached the left turn from the highway that led to the street of the hotel. He pressed on the screen again and the call switched back to the front camera, revealing his and Silene’s matching smiles.

“So…” Silene raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to meet us outside?”

******

Sergio was panting by the time he got outside from running down the stairs from the third floor. He tried his best to get there as fast as he can, inciting a few curious glances from the hotel staff and guests along the way. He didn’t notice them though and if he did, he wouldn’t have cared.

He spots one of the hotel’s vans approach the driveway from the main street. Then, one of its windows opened. His heart skipped a beat when Agata stuck her head outside, calling out his name while she waved.

She disappeared back inside shortly. Sergio felt his cheeks start to ache from smiling. 

Suddenly, the van’s side door slid open and Silene jumped out of the moving vehicle.

From where he was, Sergio heard Anibal call out her name in alarm and Agata screaming “Silene, what the fuck!” He’s too stunned by what had just happened to realize that Silene was running at him at full speed. The only thing that managed to clue him on what was about to happen next was Silene extending her arms the very last second before she slammed Sergio into a hug.

Sergio almost fell over from the impact but after regaining his footing, he hugged her back.

“I don’t think the driver’s salary enough for you to traumatize him like that.”

“Shut up.”

With Silene’s breathless laughter in his ear and the sight of the rest of their family yet to recover from her latest stunt, the reality that his family was indeed in Toledo finally began to sink in. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming?”

Silene pulled back sending her brother a mock glare before holding his head between her two hands.

“It’s supposed to be a surprise, you idiot. You still know what a surprise is, right?”

The van slowed to a stop right next to them. The side door opened and the rest of the family filed out of the van.

Silene took a step back, joining them. For a moment all Sergio did was stare at them bewildered while they look back at him expectantly.

Agata, Yashin, Ricardo, Monica, Cinci, Silene, and Anibal. They were all here.

“You missed us, didn’t you?” Agata’s voice broke through the brief pause. Sergio nodded. It’s the truth that he tried to deny to himself quite a few times but it’s also the truth that he only became more and more aware of the longer he took to come home.

He never admitted it out loud. Until now.

"Aww," Agata replied mockingly and Sergio's cheeks immediately flared up. An embarrassed laugh escaped his lips and they started laughing at his expense too before Agata, Ricardo, Yashin, and Silene surround him with a hug.

"I can't believe you're all here," said Sergio when they pulled away.

Agata shot him an incredulous look. "Did you really think that we'd let you celebrate your birthday all alone?" 

******

Sergio took the passenger seat of the van and accompanied them to the ride to their house further down the street. The driver handed the keys to Yashin before setting off to go back to the hotel, making Sergio wonder what more his family had in mind when they've decided to fly in from Spain just for his birthday.

They went to their respective rooms on the second floor with their bags in tow. Sergio offered to take Cinci from Monica and Ricardo, to give them more time to settle in and prepare their room for the three of them since it was Cinci's first time in Palawan.

“Remember tìo Sergio?” Monica asked Cinci. Cinci’s eyes darted from his mother to Sergio before he tried to hide his face in the curve of Monica’s neck. “He’s a little shy. He’s gotten used to seeing you from a screen,” said Monica as she handed Cinci over who went to his uncle’s arms but not without a little reluctance.

Sergio gauged Cinci’s reaction as his eyes followed Monica up the stairs until she disappeared to the second floor. To Sergio's relief, when Cinci finally had his eyes on him he saw no sign of any incoming tears.

“Let’s prepare everyone a little snack for when they come down.” 

******

Sergio let himself be happy at the sight of his family at the dining table despite one vacant seat. 

With the supplies he had at the house for the days he willed himself to stay there instead of being in the hotel, he managed to put some toast, scrambled eggs, and coconut jam on the table. 

The house suddenly felt full with the talk and laughter around the table. It hasn't been that way for a year and a half since they were all in El Nido, just before Andres's condition suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Silene cleared up with Sergio that she's been making progress on the marketing plan, but the point of scheduling a meeting was for them to be sure that he wasn't busy with anything when they arrived. Silene's involvement in a such as scheme like that didn't surprise him one bit, but the fact that it was Yashin's idea did.

They assure Sergio that with Marella in charge, the cidery will be completely fine without them for a few days. Agata used the opportunity to tease him by reminding him that they've been hard at work for the last four months while he's been surrounded by sand and sea all day. Sergio doesn't make much of an effort to defend himself. While he's been juggling his work with the cidery and the hotel from Palawan, he couldn't be more thankful for Agata for holding the fort back at home.

When he asked Monica about having to take a leave, she answered that with everything that's been happening at the bank she was just glad to take a break and spend some time with Cinci (and Ricardo of course, she added seeing her husband pouting right beside her.) Sergio reminded her that his offer to join the cidery still stood and Monica assured him that she's positively considering it.

"Is it bad that I'm still a little hungry?" Ricardo rubbed his stomach while they were clearing up the table.

"I'm still hungry and tired," Yashin grumbled before standing up to help Sergio with the plates. "If only our flight from Istanbul didn't get delayed we could've had a proper lunch back in NAIA."

"We do have a busy day tomorrow so what about an early dinner so we can head to bed early too?" Agata proposed, and Sergio froze at the mention of dinner which Agata immediately noticed. "What? Is something wrong?"

Sergio adjusted his eyeglasses before going back to the cups and utensils on the table without a word. The change in his demeanor called everyone's attention. They watched him as he went to put the dirty dishes in the sink. 

Sergio turned the faucet on. He could feel their eyes still on him, waiting for him to speak. He took a deep breath before picking up the sponge.

"I... I have something going on tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤


	12. Chapter 12

"I... I have something going on tonight."

Guilt followed as the words were out of Sergio's mouth. With his back facing them, he couldn't tell what his family's reaction was at that moment.

"You mean you're not eating dinner with us?" Silene's voice was followed by the sound of footsteps coming towards his direction.

Sergio can't bear to say no just yet.

Buying himself some time with washing the dishes isn't his best idea by far but with the alternative literally having to face his family, he's scrubbing the plates with the sponge with far more care than what was necessary.

"Tell us _hermano_ , what could possibly be more important than having dinner with your family who might just have flown from across the world to see you?"

Agata's words still stung even if the humor in her voice wasn't lost to Sergio.

"It's not work, is it? At least not with the hotel? I talked to señor Torres and he didn't mention anything." Since he arrived, Sergio always had the suspicion that Agata was keeping tabs on him through their hotel manager. He just didn't expect Agata would ever admit to it.

"No, it's not about the hotel," Accepting the reality that he can't delay the situation any longer, Sergio reluctantly started with rinsing the drinking glasses. "And I didn't know you were coming when I made plans."

"Is it urgent though? Can't you postpone it for another day? Not tomorrow, of course," said Silene.

Sergio was fully aware that he'd already spend yesterday and most of the day with Raquel. Was he ready to admit that his sister has a point?

The answer was a resounding no.

Sergio finished rinsing the drinking glasses then placed them and the plates in the drying rack. He quickly glanced at his hands. His fingers were starting to prune. He steeled himself after quickly drying his hands before facing his family again.

Agata and Silene have moved on to the stools on the kitchen island in front of the sink while the rest of the family were still seated at the table.

"What time are you planning to eat?"

Agata checked the time on her watch before asking the others, "How about we eat at 7 at the hotel?"

The rest of the family express their agreement.

Sergio, on the other hand, gave himself three seconds to make up his mind.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

"I'm coming with you."

His words were met with looks of surprise and confusion. "What about your plans for tonight?" Yashin spoke.

"I'll handle it. Silene's right. It can wait for another day."

He wasn't looking forward to letting Raquel down by cancelling their plans for tonight. However, with the unexpected turn of events, it was the least he could do, now that bringing her to the house was no longer possible.

Agata and Yashin exchanged looks. Silene turned to Sergio. "Are you sure?"

Sergio nodded.

"We haven't had a meal with you in months. If it's really important what's another night, right?" Ricardo's attempt to comfort him only made Sergio wince internally. "And since you said it's not work, what kind of 'plans' are we talking about anyway?" Ricardo added while shifting Cinci in his arms.

As their curious eyes were all back to him, Sergio tried his best to school his features. There's no point in being annoyed with Ricardo. He reminded himself. The blame was on him and him alone. He was the one who got himself into his current situation. It wasn't a particularly hot day in Palawan and with the windows as well as the sliding doors to the beach open, the breeze from outside was coming in, making the house comfortably cool. Even so Sergio could feel the sweat forming at the back of his neck.

"Dinner plans," he murmured. The words feel no less like a white flag above his head.

"Dinner plans? Like a date?" Anibal grinned at Sergio.

Silene turned on her stool to face her boyfriend. "You've know my brother what? Almost three years now? What makes you think this nerd–" She pointed at Sergio behind her with her thumb. "–has a date tonight?"

"What could he possibly mean with dinner plans then?"

"As if you don't know many times I tried to set him up..."

Sergio was frozen in place, watching the exchange between the two.

Meanwhile, Agata shook her head at Silene and Anibal even if the moments that make her question how they've managed to stay together as the long as they do were not few.

She leaned forward on the kitchen island, preparing herself to poke fun at Sergio for being suspicious about what his plans were supposed to be.

However, seeing the look on his face – which screamed nothing else but guilty – her mouth dropped open in surprise. Hers and Sergio's eyes met. In just a few seconds, the color in his brother's cheeks only grew deeper.

"Well _shit_." Agata shook her head before chuckling. "You really do have a date tonight."

**********

Sergio doesn't take offense when any of his siblings jibe at his non-existent dating life.

They've set him up (or at least tried to) with so many people over the past years, especially Andres. All of them fell through in their own ways. Some more horribly than others. He'd gone on a handful of dates on his own. Most of which he'd never told his family about. Yet, all of them ended in the same fate as those his family coerced him into going to.

There are still times that they try to get him to go on blind dates and what not but now that he's pushing forty, they're coming to terms with the reality that it's more likely than not that he would stay single for the rest of his life.

After Agata claimed that he does have a date that night, the room rolled into a standstill.

They took his lack of a response as a confirmation. The brief silenced that ensued was broken by Ricardo.

"Damn, Andres might actually get his wish of getting you a Filipina wife granted." He followed with his signature laugh and the sound of it changed the mood in the room like a flick of a switch.

"She... she's not Filipina," Sergio confessed, while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oooooh." The look of amusement that Monica sent his way only made his ears go warmer.

Agata pointed an accusing finger at him. "She's a guest, isn't she?"

Sergio pursed his lips. With a nod of his head, he completely surrendered to his current situation.

"So where is she from?" Monica inquired, "Is she American? Chinese? Korean?"

"She's actually from Madrid," replied Sergio timidly. He looked down on his hands on the kitchen island. Someone lets out a scandalized gasp but he's a little too embarrassed with himself to look up and confirm whether it's Silene or Agata.

Yashin walked up behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders before quietly leading him back to his seat at the head of the table. He sat down while still avoiding everyone's watchful gaze.

"So you're telling us that not only do you have a date tonight–" Sergio looked up and saw Agata standing right next to him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "–but your date's also a _Madrileña_?"

Agata snorted at his sheepish expression. "After everything we've been through to find you a girlfriend back at home, you find yourself a Madrileña _here_ in El Nido of all places?"

"Aren't we supposed to be proud?" Yashin made an effort to appease Agata.

"I am feeling a little proud," she confessed. "Just a little annoyed."

"So is she the reason why you've been staying here for so long?" Silene smirked.

"No. We've only met a week ago." Sergio sighed. "I came to Palawan to take care of the hotel. All of you know that. I know it's taking me so long to come back home but I assure you that for the months I've been here, I've focused on the hotel. Meeting someone was the farthest thing on my mind and this..." His mind went back to their first meeting at the bar. "I didn't expect it to happen, but I'm happy that it did."

This time Sergio met their eyes with certainty.

"That's it. There's no way you're coming to dinner with us." Silene left the stool she was sitting on then approached the table.

"But–"

"You have a date to go to tonight."

"Let me talk to her. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Do you think we're letting you bail out on this date? No way." Silene said with a glare. "The last thing we want is for you to miss out on this date just because of us," added Yashin.

"He's right," said Ricardo. "We wouldn't want to intervene in your dating life... now that you have one."

"I swear Raquel will be fine–"

"So 'Raquel' huh?" Agata looked at him with wide eyes. Sergio flushed. "Raquel what?" Silene already had her phone out. "Let me look her up. Is she on Instagram?"

"Silene, please..." Agata rolled her eyes.

"I just want to see what she looks like."

Agata let out a resigned sigh. "Back to our plans for tonight. It's settled. We're going to have dinner at the hotel without you."

Sergio was about to try insisting on coming to dinner again when Monica spoke. "Why don't you invite Raquel to join us for dinner? That way you get to come with us and you won't exactly be missing out on your date with her."

Silene looked at Monica excitedly. "Have I told you that you're my favorite sister-in-law?"

"I am currently the your only one," Monica pointed out before Silene shifted her attention back to Sergio. "You heard Mon."

Sergio shook his head saying, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" said Agata. "I think it’s brilliant.”

Sergio removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. His head was starting to hurt.

"You get to have dinner with us and with Raquel. We get to meet your girlfriend. Doesn't that sound like the definition of a win-win, _profesor_?"

Sergio's eyes widened at the mention of Raquel as his girlfriend. He could feel the heat rushing back to his cheeks again.

They were figuring things out but does that warrant him the right to call her his… _girlfriend_?

He doesn't have time to think about it now. In hindsight, he should have just kept quiet about his supposed date and discreetly talked about rescheduling his dinner with Raquel. He shut his eyes as his headache was making itself known.

Yashin looked at him concerned before exchanging looks with Agata. She poked at his Sergio's shoulder making him open his eyes. "What time are you supposed to meet with Raquel?"

"We're supposed to meet at the hotel lobby at 8."

"We could have dinner at 6:30..." she said to everyone else on the table who each responded with a slight nod. She plopped down to the empty seat right next to her. "...so you could join us for a while before we send you off. That way we won't feel guilty about forcing you and your date to have dinner with us and you won't feel guilty about missing out on having dinner with us."

Sergio put on his eyeglasses while looking at his sister expectantly.

"Really?"

"Don't make us change our minds."

"We can't just let him off that easily." Ricardo chuckled and Monica swatted him playfully on the shoulder.

"We're not here to make him miserable,” asserted Yashin and Sergio couldn’t be more thankful.

"We're letting him off tonight..." Agata confirmed. Yet, the smile that Agata sent his way has Sergio waiting for the other shoe to drop. "...because there's no way you're not inviting Raquel to join us tomorrow."

**********

Raquel has a vague feeling that she's being watched as she went out of the elevator hallway. She sees Sergio immediately, sitting on one of the accent chairs in the lobby. She takes the opportunity to scan her surroundings as she's walking towards him but her worries slip away seeing Sergio's shy smile as he rises from his seat.

"You look lovely," said Sergio before pressing a kiss on her cheek.

Raquel wore a sleeveless olive green dress that goes down to her knees. It's one of those things that she packed last minute, not really expecting to make use of them during her trip. However, the last two days alone seem to be a testament to how the unexpected seems to find her here in Palawan.

Raquel returned his kiss with a quick peck on the lips. "I'd say the same to you." Her words made Sergio smile wider. He's wearing a navy blue shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows. Raquel became instantly aware that keeping her eyes from his arms will be a challenge throughout the evening.

"Am I right to think that we're not eating at the hotel?"

"You're right but about what we talked about earlier about who's paying when we're dining out..."

"What about it?" Raquel already has an idea about what was about to come next.

"What about we hold it off just for tonight? Maybe start tomorrow instead?"

Of course, Sergio's suggestion was met with frank disbelief from Raquel.

"No. I'm paying for dinner."

"But I was the one who proposed that we have dinner together."

Raquel sighed. He already used the same reasoning when he paid for yesterday's breakfast.

"We already talked about this. I pay if we dine out. What we agreed on isn't affected by who invited who."

"I know. _I know_. All I'm asking is that we hold off the agreement for tonight. I promise you won't get any complaints from me after this."

"Is this how you do business, _señor Marquina?_ " Raquel teased. "As a businessman, I think you understand the value of keeping your word."

Sergio was silent a few seconds too long that Raquel was already convinced that she had already turned the conversation in her favor.

It doesn’t last long as Sergio closed the distance between them to drop his lips right next to her ear saying "I'm an honest businessman through and through, _señorita Murillo._ " A shiver ran down her Raquel's spine at the mention of her name. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. By the smirk on his lips, she could tell that her reaction didn't go unnoticed and that he knew what exactly he was doing. _Hijo de puta._ Raquel had to bite back a smile of her own. “But flexibility is important in business too.”

“ _Flexibility_ huh?”

“Uh-hmm.”

“What about fairness then?”

She took a small step backward. Sergio went back to standing up straight. His expression faltered for a second but he quickly recovered but not quick enough to go unnoticed. It wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

Raquel only looks up at him at first waiting for an answer. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it during lunch. Why are you changing your mind now? Did you say yes just for the sake of it?”

“That’s not it…” He trailed off. Raquel could practically hear the wheels turning in Sergio’s head.

“Sergio…” She placed both of her hands on Sergio’s shoulders. “Let’s go and have dinner.”

“But…”

“No more buts. I’m getting hungry.”

“Raquel…”

Raquel simply shook her head again before pulling him towards the entrance of the hotel.

**********

They forgo Sergio’s motorcycle given that Raquel was wearing a dress and decided to take a tricycle instead. She doesn’t have an idea as to where Sergio was planning to take them to dinner. She watched in amusement as Sergio unwillingly told the driver to take them to what she assumed to be a restaurant called Bella Vita before leaning back to his seat.

Raquel laced her fingers in his and leaned her head on her shoulder for the rest of the ride as a consolation.

**********

They ordered a Margherita pizza, gnocchi alla sorentina, and a glass of red wine each to start.

Their food arrived shortly after and to her surprise, Sergio hands his phone to their waitress and asks her to take their photo. His hand on her waist has Raquel scooting closer to him before smiling at the camera. Before they ate, Raquel has Sergio send her their photo, and Sergio does the same for their photo at the waterfall from yesterday.

Due to her excitement, Raquel bites into her pizza too soon (or Sergio’s warning that the pizza’s still hot came too late, they’re not so sure) and she takes a big gulp of wine to cool off her tongue. Sergio’s expression being caught between being concerned and impressed has her chuckling with her lips still against the rim of her glass.

In the hours that pass after that, Raquel thought that if having good food and good wine by the beach in Palawan sounds like a dream that’s because it is.

They’re among the few who filed out of the restaurant just as it was about to close. The wind blowing in from the sea almost made Raquel cold but Sergio’s warm hand finding hers just as they step out into the night made it all right.

As they walked down the beach, passing through fishing boats moored for the night and restaurants and bars still brimming with activity even at the late hour, Raquel couldn’t help but be drawn to the sky.

“What are you looking at?”

“The stars. I don’t remember them being this bright back in Madrid. Come to think of it… I don’t remember seeing this many either.”

“It’s because of all the lights. Even at night Madrid’s far too bright. Here in Palawan the night is dark as it should be.”

“Do you go to Madrid a lot?” There’s a touch of hopefulness in Raquel’s voice that she doesn’t bother to mask.

“Not as often back when Andres used to teach at IED. We’d go around the city and we’d stay at the house he rents. Since he moved back to Toledo to take care of us and the business when papá passed, I guessed I haven’t been to Madrid that much.”

The disappointment that started to rise from Raquel has her eyes glued to the sand.

There’s a part of her that wanted to ask if that will change but she’s not _that_ brave. She’d like to believe that she’s sensible enough to know that it wasn’t the time or place foe questions of that sort.

Even if Toledo was less than an hour away from Madrid on a good day, Spain was practically a world away from where they were at the moment.

Sergio was right beside her tonight. Handsome as he is, with his glasses, dressed in blue, and his hair being blown by the steady breeze. Sand was getting in her sandals. He has her tote bag on her shoulder since he offered to carry it for her before they got out of the restaurant. She guessed that he’s a little tipsy just as she was (she’d only outnumbered the glasses of wine he had by one) and if she’d kiss him right there she knew that she can still taste a hint of it on his lips.

She still has six days left in Palawan. Six days until three separate plane tickets would take her back to her life in Madrid that she’s starting anew.

On the other hand, she doesn’t even know when he’s supposed to come back home and she’s almost too afraid to ask. With the hotel in his hands, was it as simple as coming and going as he pleased? All the signs in her head simply pointed to the negative.

But they’re figuring it out, right? Maybe she’s holding on too much too such few words but maybe she owes it to herself to have some semblance of hope.

"Is something in your mind?" Sergio slowed down to match her pace.

"I'm just thinking about how time flies. I'm coming home in less than a week." It's a half-truth that she just has to stand by. "Feels like yesterday when you let me borrow your phone."

"I have to thank your mamá."

"For what?"

Sergio looked at her with a serious expression, but she could tell that a smile was just about to break out from his lips. "If she didn't call you right when you at the bar, we wouldn’t have met.”

She smiled up at him. Raquel already feels herself draw back from her wistful mood. "Sí, I guess we do owe it to mamá… Without her, you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to swoop in and act like a gentleman like you did.”

Sergio feigning hurt has her chuckling. “I only wanted to help you. I swear.”

“Is it part of the La Casa en La Playa experience? A handsome stranger at the bar to help hopeless guests out with their tech problems or what not? Maybe you should put it in your website.”

The sound of Sergio’s laughter ignites a lightness in her chest. When his laugh subsides, he turns to her in all seriousness with a look in his eyes that she thinks reads as something that might be far too overreaching given that she could easily count the number of days they’ve known each other in the fingers of her two hands.

She still felt her breath quicken and her mouth go dry in the short silence before Sergio spoke again.

“Do you think we would’ve have met back in Spain?” came his tentative question.

They’ve come to a stop at the sidewalk of the main road.

“Maybe not. I live in Madrid. You live in Toledo and you said it yourself. You don’t come to Madrid often. I don’t know if the chances would’ve been lower back when I was working. Sure, the job takes me almost anywhere the city but rounding up criminals and going to crime scenes don’t really open up any chances for us to meet, do they? And…” she gulped. “In the very slight chance that our paths would’ve crossed, I might still be married. Married to a terrible man, yes, but still married nonetheless.”

Sergio’s hold on her hand tightens as he said, “It seems like impossible for our paths to cross back home.”

He took a deep breath before glancing up the sky. “Do you believe in luck, Raquel?”

“Depends on the situation. If it’s about winning the lottery or being born into a wealthy family…” She shoots him a teasing look. “Then maybe I’d say yes. But for most situations…” She gave a slight shrug “…not really.”

“I wasn’t born into a wealthy family. Quite far from it actually,” countered Sergio and his admission attracted Raquel’s curiosity but she chose to not any questions instead. “But when it comes to luck, I feel the same. I’m someone who only believes what I can understand and the idea that there’s a certain force in the universe that brings good or bad fortune doesn’t sit well with me…”

The glow of a motorcycle headlight and the hum of its engine coming from the end of the road catching both of their attention.

When Raquel’s eyes met his again, Sergio continued “…but having met you here, in Palawan, just something about it somehow feels incredibly lucky to me.”

When the tricycle finally stops right in front of them, Raquel feels a little _changed_.

**********

“Do you still have somewhere to go to?” Raquel asked after Sergio asked the tricycle driver to wait after they got off in front of the hotel entrance.

“I have to sleep at our house tonight.”

“Oh.” Raquel felt her disappointment rise again. She might have been considering inviting him up to her room again for the night. “Is it far? We could’ve finished dinner earlier if–“

“It’s actually just further down the road, a few minutes away,” Sergio assured. “I… I would love really love to invite you over- I was actually planning to cook dinner for you at the house tonight but…” he scratched the back of his neck. “…my family decided to show up this afternoon.”

“Your family? They’re here? In El Nido?”

“They turned up when I was supposed to have a meeting with my sister. Turns out the meeting was only their way to make sure that my schedule’s “free” for when they arrive.”

“Sergio, you should’ve told me.” Raquel held his face with both hands. The thought she took the time that he could’ve spent with his family started to dawn on her. “You should’ve gone to dinner with them instead.”

“I did. I joined them for a very early dinner at the hotel.” Sergio placed his hands on top of hers. ”They let me eat half of a salad and insisted that I go to our dinner tonight.”

“You told them about…” _Us_ remained unsaid.

“I might have mentioned that I had something going on tonight and they had a guess on what it might be.”

Raquel drew her hands away from his face, saying “I wouldn’t have minded if we didn’t have dinner together tonight so you could’ve spent more time with them.”

“I know you would’ve understood but… when I said they insisted, they really _insisted_ that I go.”

Raquel laughed. “I still feel bad for taking your time with them. You haven’t seen them in a while.”

Sergio faced the tricycle driver behind him, apologizing for the long wait while also promising to add to his fare.

“They’ll be here until Saturday. We’ll have a few days to catch up but my sister has a suggestion on how we could make up for tonight.”

“We?” Raquel asked confused. “What did your sister say?”

“They all want you to come and celebrate my birthday with us tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella Vita is a real restaurant in Palawan. The place seems really nice. Just kinda sad to read about it/Palawan in general for the story this time when it's not safe to go to places :(
> 
> Also, the next chapter starts Raquel's last 5 days in Palawan. I guess it's time for me to start a countdown haha. As always, a big thanks to everyone who's left a comment and/or a kudos. I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you guys think ❤


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